Neill Conor Gorman was born in St. Louis, MO on February 26, 1982.   He was the son of Maureen O’Connell Gorman of Tyngsborough, MA and Dr. John Gorman of Nashua, NH.

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Neill was a graduate of Notre Dame Academy Elementary, Tyngsborough High School, New York University (B.A. in International Relations with Business and German minors, cum laudae) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.).

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He had a passion and talent for creative writing as early as second grade. During that year, his teacher wrote him a short letter expressing admiration for and enjoyment of his stories, and encouraged him to continue using his imagination for writing.

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Before attending THS, in Grade 7 Neill was invited to participate in the John Hopkins Math and Verbal Talent Search.  Subsequently, he took the College Board’s SAT and placed with distinction in VERBAL by scoring higher than the average college-bound Grade 12 student. He was among a group recognized in a certificate awarding ceremony at Boston University.

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During High School, Neill was more than a gifted writer.  His participation in the National Honor Society, Peer Leadership, Student Senate, Drama Club and Pride First team were all important to him. Although not a natural athlete like many of his friends, he played some soccer and basketball and ran track and cross country. Neill was awarded many honors, distinctions and competition awards, particularly for verbal and writing skills (including the honor of attending the Breadloaf Writers' Conference at Middlebury College, VT and receiving a perfect score on the AP Language exam). He was a National Merit Semi-Finalist. And last but not least, he was elected by his classmates as both Junior and Senior Class President.  This honor he treasured more than any achievement during high school years.

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Following his classes, school sports and activities at THS, he frequently went to one of his five jobs, sometimes at two different Tyngsborough locales in one evening. His favorite volunteer work during this time was working with the elderly at Senior Centers.

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Neill’s love of writing and his work ethic continued during college.  He was on the Dean’s List every semester, including his “9/11 semester”.  His student housing at the time was a 7th floor apartment across /around corner from the World Trade Center. That morning, his first day of Sophomore year, he boarded the NYU bus going uptown to the campus. He thought he was going to take a German language placement exam.  While at a stoplight in front of the Towers, he had a direct view of the second plane hitting and a grim picture of the aftermath of the first plane strike. Because the windows in the apartment were left open, it was contaminated with piles of ashes. He had only the clothes he was wearing, some notebooks and his German textbook in a backpack. He and his roommate spent the first night on cots in the gym (after standing in line for hours to donate blood, feeling heartbroken that none was needed for survivors) and then in a Times Square hotel room until January 2002.

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Despite witnessing that tragic loss of life and chaotic times, Neill continued that semester acting as an Assistant to The NYU Graduate School of Public Affairs which was another opportunity to hone his writing skills. Later, he also worked as an Intern in The Office of the Mayor, NYC. This position involved heading to Gracie Mansion before starting classes to provide daily/weekly analysis of national and local press coverage for Mayor Bloomberg and press staff.

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Even during his Junior year winter semester at NYU Prague, he took a job with the Central European Advisory Group.  Here he worked for an all women group of attorneys conducting legal and industry research for clients expanding business ventures into Central/Eastern Europe.

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When he returned to NYU in the city, he began an internship working as part of a team to organize a UN sponsored assembly of business, religious and government leaders from around the world, preparing for an event at the UN Headquarters in Geneva which united world leaders in discussion of peace-related issues. He also enjoyed being on the campaign staff of a NY state Congressional candidate and privately tutoring students in English, Math and SAT prep.

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His writing efforts were rewarded at NYU. He received The Economics Paper of the Year award for his honors thesis and the NYU Public Service Grant as the founder of an experimental citywide mentoring program. He also received The Founder’s Day Award at graduation.

 

Immediately following college, he worked at Goldman Sachs Headquarters in NYC where his writing talent was noted, prompting some members of the Legal division to urge Neill to apply to law school.  His love of writing, meaningful discourse and respectful debate probably influenced his decision to pursue a career in Law.  However, not without regrets. He often said he wished that he had become a teacher.

 

Because Law School was all consuming for three years, including summer semesters, it left no time for employment. However, he did act as a legal intern for a Corporate and Litigation Practice in Stockholm, Sweden where his assignment was domestic and international commercial contracts-more writing! He also served on the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal and was a member of The International Law Society and Corporate Law Association while in school.

 

Following graduation, Neill was admitted to the New York State Bar Association upon taking his sole Bar Exam.  His first position was at a Manhattan law firm as an Associate in the Litigation Dept. His writing and oratory talents, polished in part at THS, were put to good use as an attorney.  Writing challenges included briefs and other litigation documents in state and federal courts, preparing discovery documents, and preparing expert witnesses for trial. The arguing and debating he enjoyed during high school was used in a successful oral argument before the New York Supreme Court in motioning for criminal re-sentencing and in drafting model legislation to reform NY juvenile justice laws.

 

Neill was well known for his Irish wit and sense of humor. His Track Coach at THS wrote him that this plus his gentleness and selflessness were good for the team. He was a voracious reader; a cartoon artist with hilarious text  from a young age; he wrote and edited a Neighborhood newspaper with his brother and friends as a child; he enjoyed playing the piano and the guitar; he loved acting on stage, and did so at many venues, including at The Merrimack Repertory Theater; he was a joyful writer of short  stories, screenplays, adult fiction and children’s books. But sadly, the 12 “lost years” following three failed back surgeries, implants, procedures, treatments, complications, an unsuccessful salvage surgery and subsequent depression stole his dream of possible publication. He was a connoisseur of movies, including foreign and independent films, and those that reflected his off-beat personality.  He delighted in entertaining friends & family by spontaneously quoting verbatim lengthy spoken lines of characters from favorites, with truly authentic mimicry, sometimes as a duet with his brother or a friend; he enjoyed doing pro bono legal work and other volunteerism, including traveling to disaster sites to assist and tutoring schoolchildren in the Bronx. He hugely enjoyed travel to foreign cities, but he left his heart in New York City.

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Neill was a fun-loving guy. He was probably never happier than when engaging in devilment with his friends throughout grade school, high school and probably even during college, unless it was playing with and reading to his three young nephews whom he adored and from whom he received much love in return.

 

Neill died on February 5, 2025 just before his 43d Birthday.

He will be so very missed, while memories of him will be forever cherished in the hearts of those who cared about him. He would have felt proud and grateful if he felt that he might contribute to Tyngsboro students embracing writing throughout their lives.