Mail Center At Limestone University Named For Bill & Jimmy Dorman

Limestone University recently announced the naming of The Bill & Jimmy Dorman Mail Center located on the campus in Gaffney.

The mail center is located in the Hines & Riggins Center, which is also home to Limestone’s student center and library.

The father and son worked at Limestone for 50 and 30 years, respectively. Bill began as an independent contractor working for Dr. A.J. Eastwood who became President in 1953. As a routine fishing partner, Bill was fond of Dr. Eastwood but continued to do contractor work for other Presidents until he went to work full time as an employee at Limestone the year Jimmy was born in 1972. Both Bill’s and Jimmy’s roles changed over time, but the mail center was a part of both jobs at Limestone over the years.

Many have noted how important Limestone was to Bill Dorman. In 1993, Limestone dedicated its yearbook, The Calciid, to Bill. A front-page article and photo in the May 11, 1993, Gaffney Ledger called Bill “The Darling of Limestone College.” The article went on to “He is reliable yet unpredictable; dependable and dynamic. Bill Dorman is one person no Limestone College student will soon forget.” The photo was of Bill driving his truck with students on the back taking them to the next place they needed to be.

Kelly Curtis, who is Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Limestone University, also has fond memories of Bill. Kelly noted that she loved Bill. “He would stop by McMillan Hall and ride me around campus, and we would just talk.  He even took me to his house one day to meet his wife, Peggy. He was one of a kind.”

His supervisor at Limestone, former Vice President of Finance Dave Rilling, considered Bill an ambassador to international students at Limestone and used him in that role often. Rilling, who is a retired Marine officer, told Bill’s son, David, who served 15 years as a member of the Board of Trustees at Limestone, that he considered Bill his gunnery sergeant.

Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees Randy Hines, who the building is co-named after, is also an alumna and former employee and golf coach at Limestone. He recently sent David a photo he found of himself and Bill sitting on the porch of the Carroll School of Fine Arts building watching the 1983 graduation of David. Bill was more engaged in the conversation than the graduation. He was all in for Limestone for a lifetime.

Jimmy served 30 years at Limestone. Much of his time there centered around the mail center. The same newspaper article describing Bill would have needed to describe Jimmy as reliable and predictable. Dependable and quiet. Others in the mail center appreciated and loved Jimmy, as well as many who worked at the United States Postal Service who saw Jimmy multiple times each day. After Jimmy’s death in 2021, they sent a card to Jimmy’s family, with each one writing fond memories about him from his role at Limestone.

Jimmy almost never took vacation at Limestone and almost never called out sick. He even passed away unexpectedly while working. If something was his responsibility, he took care of it. While he was quiet, he was surprisingly deep in his relationships with those on his path. Each day he would look up jokes on his iPad to be able to lighten someone’s day as he crossed their path. He also had birthdays written down at home for those who were important to him in this part of his life to make sure he did not forget their important day. Jimmy had a different personality than his father, but was devoted to the same Limestone.

When you walk through the campus of Limestone University and see one of many naming memorials, do not see them as donations. See them as one of many lives and legacies who helped collectively pave the way for Limestone University to be the beautiful, active, and thriving campus we see today.

Bill would be proud to know there is a third generation of his family who pours out his life at Limestone University. Pastor Holden Poole is Bill’s oldest grandson and Jimmy’s oldest nephew and is in full time ministry with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) that has an office on the Limestone campus. Bill took Holden to Limestone from the time he was an infant and would be proud of the way he pours out spiritually to the students, coaches, and others at Limestone. And as the photo also says under the naming designation, each one of the Dorman family would be quick to say; “How can we help?”

ACCOMPANING PHOTO: Peggy Dorman stands in front of the mail center at Limestone University that was recently named for her husband and son.

(This article originally appeared in The Gaffney Ledger on Dec. 14, 2022. It was submitted to The Ledger by the Dorman family.)