Everybody’s “Aunt Gert” is Still Bringing People Together
Jennifer Dunn ’06 noticed her bright red hair first. Then came the booming laugh.
As a student interning with UCF sports marketing around 2005, Dunn knew she wanted to meet the woman whose presence seemed to fill the office. Mari Frances “Gert” Garman ’87 soon gave her an invitation that would shape a friendship lasting more than two decades: If you ever need anything, reach out.
Years after graduation, when Dunn faced a career crossroads, Garman helped her consider her options, map out next steps and find a way forward. Then she kept checking in.
“She continued to follow up, and she continued to check in,” Dunn says. “And I think that just says so much about who she was.”
Help keep Gert’s circle growing. Your gift to The Gert Garman Scholarship, will help first generation students pursue their ambitions, continuing her legacy of encouragement, connection and generosity.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, nearly 150 of Garman’s closest friends and family members gathered to remember Garman and celebrate the woman they described as a “collector” and a “connector.” Additionally, there were more than 70 livestream log-ins, and some of those were watch parties or groups.
One guest recalled Garman befriending a stranger on a crowded airplane. By the flight’s end, she had an invitation to her new acquaintance’s wedding.
Her gift for connecting with people began at the White Rooster, her family’s restaurant. Her parents, Jack and Dorothy, encouraged her to visit tables, entertain guests and share a laugh.
Now, her friends have established The Gert Garman Scholarship at UCF, to extend that encouragement to students.
They want those students to feel what so many people felt in Garman’s company: Someone believes in you. Someone wants to help.
A Knight Who Made Room for Everyone
Garman attended UCF from 1981 to 1987. A founding member of the university’s Epsilon Tau chapter of Delta Gamma, she opened her apartment to sorority sisters before their chapter house was completed. She later served as house mom.
At the celebration, a UCF alumna recalled seeking refuge at the sorority house after a traumatic experience. Garman came running in her nightgown, pulled the young woman into her lap and let her cry.
“You’re going to stay the night here,” Garman told the young woman. “It’s safe. The alarm is on. Nobody’s going to bother you. And we’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
Later, Garman called the police and helped her take the next steps.
In her work as an assistant athletics director at UCF, Garman brought that same compassion. Football players became “her kids.” To many, she was Aunt Gert.
A Bigger Circle
Tammy O’Hara met Garman when they worked at FAIRWINDS Credit Union. Their offices were close together; their friendship started immediately.
“She could be with you for just a couple minutes and make an impact on your life,” O’Hara says.
Garman brought creativity to roles at FAIRWINDS and UCF, the City of Orlando, Walt Disney World and Valencia College. In 2016, she founded The Broad Perspective, LLC, helping organizations approach marketing and business problems with fresh eyes.
O’Hara remembers workshops filled with props, toys and sticky notes, where Garman encouraged people to set aside their doubts and explore possibilities. O’Hara hired Gert several times after they left the credit union to facilitate sessions at nationwide credit union conferences.
Even while facing her own health challenges, Garman wanted to know how her friends were doing.
“She was always concerned with who was across the table from her,” O’Hara says.
Still Bringing People Together
After Garman’s passing, Dunn and one of Garman’s Delta Gamma sisters separately approached O’Hara with the same idea: Create a UCF scholarship.
They did not know each other. O’Hara connected them.
As they worked together, the friends recognized something familiar. Garman had brought another group of people into each other’s lives.
The effort aims to build a $50,000 endowment supporting first –generation college students — a way to keep opening doors in her name.
Dunn also carries Garman’s example into her own mentoring, remembering that helping someone means following through.
For future recipients, that legacy will offer support as they find their way at UCF. For Garman’s friends, it offers another opportunity to help someone Garman would have welcomed into her circle.
“She truly never met a stranger, always found a friend,” Dunn says. “All of our worlds are better because we know her.”
Special thanks to Steve Martin ’87 and Omni New Media Productions for sharing his multimedia talents at Gert’s Celebration of Life. Thanks also to FAIRWINDS Credit Union for their care and sensitivity in hosting this beautiful event.
