Dear George…
Carol Robinson reviews an anthology of recollections
The testimony written after his death in 1982 starts: ‘George Gorman was one of the few members of London Yearly Meeting who was known in every Monthly Meeting and possibly in every Preparative Meeting; he was also known to a great many Friends in Yearly Meetings of continental Europe and of North America.’
Times change and today George Gorman is mostly known for the book of his 1973 Swarthmore lecture, The Amazing Fact of Quaker Worship. It certainly came as a surprise to me that he had been the general secretary of Friends Home Service Committee and had run an important series of Enquirers’ Conferences at Charney Manor. I knew of him through the Memorial Fund in his name, which sponsors a lecture by a younger Friend and gives opportunities for young Friends to spend a term at Pendle Hill or attend international Quaker events.
This slim volume is an attempt by the trustees of the George Gorman Memorial Fund to fill a gap in current Quaker’s knowledge of a prominent twentieth century Friend before we lose more of those who knew him personally.
The format is very much that of an anthology. There are snippets of reminiscences from Quakers who knew him. There are also extracts from articles in the Friend, an article by George Gorman himself on ‘Faith and Fellowship’, as well as the foreword to his 1973 Swarthmore lecture. The book ends with a copy of the testimony to the grace of God in his life. There is also a charming, one–sided account of some of his correspondence with ‘My Dear A…’ from 1974 to 1980. The letters also provide small details – the relative merits of automatic washing machines, the problem of dry rot in his house and the difficulties of writing on trains – all of which give a sense of his character.
The impression that is created is of a warm, generous man, used to being charming and entertaining, fond of family (especially his wife Lucy), deeply interested in people and very committed to Quakerism. Contributors repeatedly report his encouragement and support for young Friends in particular.
The book also gives an insight into a slower world, where the general secretary of Friends Home Service Committee had time to reply, by handwritten letter, to enquirers and to maintain lengthy correspondences. However, I was left wishing that the book was more of a biography than an anthology. Having read the book, I had a vague sense of the contribution George Gorman made to the lives of those who had written their recollections, but not of what had driven him, or of his relevance today. The format of an anthology gives only glimpses of an interesting and prominent Quaker, not a rounded picture. Whilst there are some gentle criticisms, the book is very much the fond memories of loving Friends of an interesting character.
I wished that the names of the contributors had been given after each piece, rather than listed at the back of the book. I found myself wondering at the identity of the authors of particular memoirs, and whether knowing who they were would change my understanding of their comments. It’s a shame, too, that the photographs are mostly poorly taken and poorly reproduced, and that one or two typographical errors have crept in.
For those who did know George Gorman, or who have found inspiration in his writing, this book will be a welcome reminder of a man who served the Yearly Meeting well.
‘Dear George…’: An anthology of recollections of George H Gorman edited by Joolz Saunders. It is published by the George Gorman Memorial Fund 2013.
ISBN: 9781904446521 £10.
