Two cement lions sit on pedestals outside of Skidompha Library in Damariscotta. The lions, named Curiosity and Perseverance, were installed in honor of the late executive director, Pam Gormley, who passed away in January. Gormley, a native of New York, wanted lions installed outside of Skidompha Library to match the lions outside of the New York Public Library. (Christina Brown photo)
Skidompha Library in Damariscotta now has a long-awaited addition to its exterior.
Two cement lions were installed on the pedestals in front of the library in memory of the former executive director, Pam Gormley, on Friday, March 13. Gormley, who was associated with the library in various roles for more than 20 years, died in January following a period of declining health.
According to the current executive director, Matthew Graff, the lions were installed on March 13 to celebrate the 121st anniversary of Skidompha Library’s incorporation.
“The very first time I visited Skidompha, I could see Pam’s love for Skidompha and the community in the building, in the staff, and in the shelves,” Graff said. “We now have two lions out front facing Main Street, as Pam always wanted. I’d like to think they are the kittens of patience and fortitude and are symbols of Pam’s own patience and fortitude and mark her place in Skidompha’s history.”
Gormley had wanted to install cement lions on the pedestals outside of Skidompha to mimic the New York Public Library, said Torie DeLisle, a former coworker of Gormley’s who assisted with the purchase and installation.
“As a child of New York City who had the world opened up to her by the New York Public Library, Pam had always intended to install lions on the pedestals in front of Skidompha in reference to the famous lions in New York,” DeLisle said.
A cement lion is moved onto a pedestal outside of Skidompha Library in Damariscotta on Friday, March 13. The two lions that now sit outside the library were installed in memory of the former executive director, Pam Gormley, who passed away earlier this year. Hagar Enterprises, of Damariscotta, donated their time and equipment to assist in moving the lions. (Christina Brown photo)
DeLisle said she hopes the lions, named Curiosity and Perseverance by the Gormley family, not only honor Gormley’s memory but also serve as a reminder to the community to be brave, to seek knowledge, and to engage boldly in the world.
The lions were moved onto the pedestals by Hagar Enterprises Inc., of Damariscotta, who donated their time and equipment, according to DeLisle. Stevens Monuments, of Newcastle, will be donating its time to fix each lion to its pedestal.
Gormley was born and raised in the Bronx, N.Y., where she worked for Reader’s Digest for 25 years.
She moved to Damariscotta with her husband, Mal, in 1994, following the birth of their second child. In 1998, Gormley joined Skidompha Library’s ongoing capital campaign as a volunteer fundraiser. Her efforts helped raise more than $3.2 million needed to fund the construction of a new library facility at 184 Main St. in Damariscotta, where the library is located today.
In 2004, Gormley became the executive director of Skidompha Library after being a member of the committee in charge of hiring for the role. She worked as executive director until her retirement in 2019.
Under the direction of Gormley, the library welcomed public speakers, community groups, educational programming, and even musical performances as a part of its programming.
In September 2024, Gormley underwent an emergency triple heart bypass surgery that she never fully recovered from.
“I consider myself so lucky to have been able to work with Pam in her last years at Skidompha,” DeLisle said. “She had an amazing ability to understand how to support people to do their best work, and cared about our library and our community so much. She used to say that libraries and the people who run them were the guardians of civilization, and I think this is really true.”
Torie DeLisle helps to move a cement lion onto a pedestal outside of Skidompha Library on Friday, March 13. The lions were installed on the 121st anniversary of the library’s incorporation to honor the former executive director, Pam Gormley, who passed away in January of this year. (Christina Brown photo)
