Ed Goerlitz
(NAHS Faculty 1957–1991)
By the time Michael Nevitt was a seventh grader… Tom Weatherston and Ed Goerlitz had already been faculty at New Albany for a combined total of fifty years. Both Tom and Ed would go on to be inducted into the New Albany Hall of Fame. Tom knew how to form effective connections with the talents he found among his fellow faculty. For musicals, (the late) Robert Carter (also a Hall of Famer) was a crucial partner. He knew the choral students who might perform best in lead roles. They proved it in their auditions.
The two men were immersed in the performing arts as part of their primary teaching duties. Others had very demanding “day jobs”. Lucile Paris was Dean of Girls for over twenty years. Overseeing the wardrobe needs of the theatre program was entirely an extracurricular commitment that she fulfilled tirelessly. Ed Goerlitz followed in her footsteps after she retired in 1976. He had joined the faculty in 1957 and over his 34 years, he had full time responsibilities teaching history, world civilizations and usually two classrooms of English. Because he was located in the annex, it facilitated an affinity to what Tom was doing in “the theatre classroom” there. Ed didn’t have to be “roped in”.
He grew up in Boonville, Indiana. His great grandfather was a tailor; his mother taught him sewing and knitting. She nurtured his desire to learn about various fabrics. He was intrigued by the aesthetic process of designing and the use of color. He attended Evansville College for one year, then went on to earn degrees in education (BA 1952 and MA 1957) at IU Bloomington. Between 1952 and 1955, he served three years in the Army, including 16 months in Pusan, Korea.
After leaving the service, Ed began his sixty year adventure in marriage to (Margaret) “Marj” Thoss. They both enjoyed sewing, and each was as capable as the other. It meant that the theatre department got a “two-fer” in creating and managing costumes. Ed never sought recognition for his work as Wardrobe Master at NAHS, but his eyes light up as he recalls his favorite musicals, including 1776 and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Ed was inducted into the New Albany Hall of Fame in 2018. In addition to their two children… Amy Goerlitz Deal (NAHS ’83) and (the late) David Goerlitz (NAHS ’79)… Ed and Marj were blessed with four grandchildren. He has been a widower since 2015 and now lives with his grandson Michael (NAHS ’01). Most Mondays, you can still find him up to his elbows in apparel at the “Clothes Closet” of St Marks’ Church.
Read the entire April 2023 Legacy Ledger (Issue 32).