Picture Rocks recently celebrated its sesquicentennial, and among the festivities, one man stood tall above all — longtime borough manager Bill Dorman.
Community service was always a focus for lifetime resident Dorman, having served with the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1960, ending his military career with a ranking of petty officer, second class.
First appointed to the position of borough manager in 1967, Dorman, who previously served as the borough’s secretary and treasurer, held the spot for 58 years before retiring.
“I was the treasurer, and the current secretary decided she wanted to retire, so then they combined the treasurer and secretary into one position and appointed me,” Dorman, whose great-uncle previously served as mayor, explained.
Each term is appointed by borough council.
“I think I did a pretty good job,” Dorman said as to how he was able to hold the position for over five decades.
While fulfilling his borough duties, Dorman also held down jobs with Montgomery Plumbing and BiLo Supply in Montoursville for 28 and a half years.
One of the biggest successes of his many terms as borough manager was getting the budget on track.
“When I took over the job as treasurer, it was one month to the next month whether we had the money to pay the bills, and when I left, there was a tremendous amount of balance in the checking account,” he said.
“I’m very proud of the budgets that I put in,” he said.
Another highlight for Dorman was seeing the roads in the borough go from dirt to now being oiled and chipped or paved.
“The budget was a real challenge because one of the big items was PPL. This borough spends about $1,200 a month for street lights. And the roads and the highways are another big item, because we spend about $40- to $50,000 a year on keeping up the roads,” he said.
“I was very fortunate. I had a good council during those years, and they worked with me. We got quite a bit accomplished,” he said of his hometown of roughly 617 residents.
“It was a lifestyle more than a job,” Dorman’s son, Dan, said.
“It was pretty much from the kitchen table in the house we grew up in, and it developed over the years into an actual office in a building that used to be the bank here in Picture Rocks,” Dan said.
“Some of it migrated from the kitchen table up there, but some of it still got done out of his house,” he added.
“That was part of his life. It’s just something he wanted to do, and he liked doing it for the people here,” said Bill’s wife, Nancy.
“You watch everybody come to your house, and call on the phone at whatever time it is, even if it’s a holiday and they need something. That’s just the good and the bad of being the borough manager of the town you live in, because you can’t hide from anything,” said Dan, who carries on the tradition of public service as the Fire Chief of the Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department, beginning his firefighting career in 1982.
“You get used to doing those kinds of things just by observation and involvement,” Dan, who has also acted as supervisor for Penn Township, said.
“My dad’s the typical dad, he’s somebody I always looked up to and he’s always there for me whenever I need it,” said son, Jim Dorman, chief of the Muncy Borough Police for the past 10-plus years.
“He is always there for the community, too,” he added. “Fifty-eight years, and he still, to this day, does stuff for them. Linda, the secretary-treasurer now, she’ll call him and he’ll help out with things. I’m sure it’s hard after doing it for so long, you just can’t quit cold turkey.”
In choosing a career in law enforcement 33 years ago, Jim followed not only in the steps of his father, but also his grandfather, who was a state trooper.
“We helped each other out over the years. Me being chief, if he had questions when it came to police stuff, I’d help him out, and if I had a question with municipal stuff, I’d reach out to him, because he had done it so long I knew that I’d get the right answer from him,” Jim said.
“He’s a great man, and he did a lot for the borough, and sometimes I don’t think people realize what he did and how much he put into it,” the chief said of his father.
“I’m very happy that they have taken the time to recognize him after so many years of service and so much that he’s given back. It’s nice to see that the community still cares about people,” said grandson Jarrett.
“Our family has really taken hold of community service,” Jarrett said, noting that he is involved in his church in Hughesville, as well as nonprofits in the area.
“My brother, Josh, is the ambulance captain at the fire department. My mom is the assistant ambulance captain there, and Josh is also a paramedic out of the prison, and was a paramedic for UPMC for a few years,” Jarrett said.
“It helps when you walk through town and everybody either refers to you as Bill Dorman’s grandson or Dan Dorman’s son,” he laughed.
Although no longer in office, Dorman and Nancy continue to serve their community in other ways, including through his work with the local baptist church.
But looking back on his time in local government, Dorman is filled with pride for the work he accomplished.
I’m very proud of how the borough grew financially, the results we had, and the work that was done,” Dorman said.
“It just seemed to be a challenge that I enjoyed,” he added.
“I’ve lived here all my life, other than the three years I put in service. This town is good. There’s a lot of good people in this town. I think most of the people take great pride in their properties around here, and everybody helps everybody,” Dorman said.
But even in his pride, Dorman remains humble when asked about the recent ceremony, which included praise from state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township and the Lycoming County Commissioners.
“I was overwhelmed. I have to thank those people for what they said about me, but sometimes I think they went a little overboard. I was thankful for what they gave as well,” Dorman said.