The Hill School Alumni Association is pleased to announce that Brigadier General Thomas Gorry ’80, 32-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and Executive Director of the Veterans Life Center, has been named the 2025 recipient of The Whatsoever Things Are True Award, the highest honor bestowed upon an alum of The Hill School.

The award presentation will take place in the Alumni Chapel on Friday, November 7, the eve of Hill vs. Lawrenceville Weekend, during the morning chapel meeting period. Members of the Alumni Association Executive Committee will introduce General Gorry, who will deliver a chapel talk to the School community.

General Gorry has lived a life that resonates deeply with The Hill School’s motto, “Whatsoever Things are True.” His decades of military service and continued leadership in civilian life reflect an enduring commitment to honesty, courage, and the welfare of others— making him a profoundly worthy recipient of this award.

General Gorry dedicated 32 years to the United States Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in 2011. As the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations on the East Coast, he was responsible for the oversight and coordination of critical military infrastructure supporting tens of thousands of Marines, sailors, and civilian personnel. During natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy, his leadership was marked not just by operational effectiveness, but by a deep sense of human responsibility—ensuring that relief and recovery efforts protected both lives and dignity. Based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he served as the Base Commander and as the Chair of the North Carolina Commanders Council, engaging with the North Carolina General Assembly on military family and readiness issues. He was admitted by the Governor of North Carolina into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his extraordinary service to the state. He then served as Commandant of the Dwight D. Eisenhower School, a Washington, D.C. area executive level college. His final assignment in the Marine Corps was as president of the Marine Corps University, an academic institution that provides professional military education and training through resident and distance learning programs across campuses worldwide.

Yet it is perhaps in his post-military life that General Gorry’s service has shone most clearly.  Upon his return from Afghanistan, he experienced health issues that required several major surgeries that led to his retirement from the military.   During his recovery, he earned a doctorate degree in Management. Using his military experience and education, Gorry was instrumental in opening the Veterans Life Center, in Butner, N.C. As Executive Director of the Veterans Life Center, he was responsible for establishing a groundbreaking program that supports at-risk veterans reintegrating into civilian life. The Center provides housing, healthcare, mental health services, job readiness, and counseling—giving veterans a second chance to rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose.  His work has saved lives, restored families, and brought healing to those bearing the invisible wounds of service. In January 2021, additional health concerns forced him to resign from the center.   

While at The Hill, Gorry was a three-sport varsity athlete, participating in football, wrestling, and track; served on The Hill News staff and Reception Committee. From Hill he enrolled at the University of North Carolina where he was a stand-out collegiate wrestler, leading to his 2013 induction into the NCAA National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He went on to receive multiple advanced degrees, including his Ph.D. from Walden University. He and his wife, Kim, reside in Raleigh, N.C., and they are the proud parents of four children and six grandchildren. 

“Through every chapter and challenge of his life, General Gorry has acted upon his values with courage, clarity, and conviction,” shares Rick Bragdon ’70, vice president of the Alumni Association Executive Committee and one of the originators of the award, along with Wallace Gundy ’04, president of the Alumni Association. “He has never sought the easy path, but always the right one. He has been honest. He has been real. He has been himself. For his selfless service, moral courage, and lasting impact on individuals and communities, Brigadier General Thomas Gorry fully embodies the ideals behind The Whatsoever Things are True Award.”

The Whatsoever Things Are True Award, derived from the School’s motto, reflects the true nature of its recipient. In essence, the award is presented to someone that, no matter how difficult the circumstances, had the courage and determination to stay true to themselves. This individual has made the world a better place by speaking or acting on the values of honor, service, and leadership that were instilled in them as a student. The recipient’s societal impact may be driven by either a single act or a life’s work but, in particular, has parlayed their Hill School education into doing purposeful good, making an extraordinary impact on their community and the world around them.