Gustave H. Gus Tillman, Jr Obituary (2014)

SCARBOROUGH- Gustave H. "Gus" Tillman, Jr., 80, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on August 24, 2014. He was a proud husband, father, and grandfather. He left the world a better place for who he was and for the many lives he touched. Gus Tillman was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, the son of Gustave Sr. and Anna Tillman. At age 13 he began a life-long career in the hotel and motel business. He began working at his sister's resort in the Pocono Mountains. He was fortunate to know at a very early age that the hotel industry was the career he wanted. Along with working at his sister's resort during his high school years, Gus played in the high school band, played football and was in his senior play. In 1952, at the Eastern Pennsylvania Science Fair, Gus placed first in Biology. He graduated near the top of his class and was one of only a few accepted to Pennsylvania State University without taking an entrance exam. All through college, in order to pay for his education, he managed the Pocono Resort in the summer months. While attending college, Tillman was actively involved in many activities at the Hotel School. He represented the school at American Hotel Lodging Association (AHLA) meetings, participated in the State Legislative Dinners, and was chairman of the Penn State Hotel Greeters Association. In 1956 he was inducted into the National Hotel Honor Society Sigma Phi Eta. He was one of only six from Penn State. Gus graduated from Penn State in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel Administration. During the next two summers, he managed his sister's resort. In the winter he was resident manager of the Mayfair Inn located in Sanford, Florida; an inn owned by the Giants Baseball Team. After this he was hired by the American Hotels Corporation as manager of the "Flying A" Hotel in Dumas, Texas. In 1963, Gus was offered a position by the President of American Hotels to come to Portland, Maine and manage the Lafayette Hotel. At the time, the hotel was slated for a multi-million dollar renovation. When the renovation never happened, Gus accepted a job offer from Henry Harper, owner of Harper Hotels, to manage the new Holiday Inn on Riverside Street in Portland. This was the first Holiday Inn in Maine and the first franchised hotel in the state. In 1972, Tillman was instrumental in bringing the Holiday Inn by the Bay to downtown Portland. This was the beginning of development of the Old Port and the Arts District. For a time, Gus managed both Holiday Inn properties in Portland and in 1986 he became the Director of Operations. When the two Portland Holiday Inn hotels were sold to Lafayette Hotels in 2009, Tillman continued as Director of Operations and was responsible for the overall operation of the two properties until his death. Gus Tillman was one of the finest and hard-working men to ever work in the hotel industry in Maine. At 80 years of age, Gus informed Mr. Danny Lafayette he had no intention of retiring, which he never did. When he was hospitalized he would take his computer and cell phone with him in order to keep in touch with his outstanding crew at the Holiday Inn by the Bay and his loving family. Linda, his wife, and Kristyn, his daughter, assisted Gus in sales for many years at the hotel. The hotel was a labor of love for Gus, and his family. He often said the last five years have been some of the happiest of his working life and he appreciated the opportunity to keep helping customers and to work with so many wonderful associates and employees. Under Gus Tillman's leadership, the Holiday Inn by the Bay has always been one of the top Holiday Inns in the country winning numerous awards, including the Holiday Inn system's highest honor, the Torchbearer Award, which the hotel won three times. The Torchbearer Award is given only to the top 10 Holiday Inns in the Americas. Tillman believed that to be successful one must be involved in both the community and the industry and this is aptly demonstrated by his many and varied volunteer and community activities. His many awards attest to his community and hotel industry involvement. He received the Maine Innkeeper's Innkeeper of the Year Award three times; the only person ever to win the award more than once. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Maine Restaurant Association; is in the Maine Tourism Association's Hall of Fame. He has won many other awards from The American Hotel Lodging Association, Portland Convention Visitor's Bureau, Portland Chamber of Commerce and various other civic and tourism groups. Gus helped to establish many of Maine's Tourism trade organizations. He was the founding President and Treasurer of Maine Innkeepers Association; founding President of Convention Visitor's Bureau of Greater Portland. At the time of his death, Tillman was the longest serving board member on the boards of directors of the Maine Tourism Association, Maine Innkeepers Association, Maine Restaurant Association and the Portland Convention Visitors Bureau after having served as their first president. Tillman always saw to it that the Holiday Inn by the Bay was involved with many organizations, such as the Portland Museum of Art, Portland Pirates Hockey Team and the Portland Symphony Orchestra to name a few. There are many more groups and organizations which looked to Gus for leadership and support. Gus is survived by his wife of 48 years, Linda; a son, Hugh Tillman (former Marine) and his wife Lainie, of Kailua, Hawaii; a daughter, Kristyn (Sales Manager), of Portland; two grandchildren, Greyson (16) and Theresa (15). His parents, and three older sisters, Caroline, Audrey, and Thelma predeceased him. Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, from 6:00-8:00 PM at Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM Friday, at Holy Cross Church, 124 Cottage Road, South Portland. Interment will follow at the Calvary Cemetery in South Portland. Friends and associates are invited to join the family for a reception at the Holiday Inn by the Bay immediately following the interment. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to remember Gus in a special way may make gifts in his memory to the Lafayette Family Foundation, 155 Littlefield Avenue, Bangor, Maine 04401.Online condolences may be expressed below.