originally posted on 7/14/2025
Photo: courtesy Waldameer & Water World. View full-sized image.
Having a personal ACE membership since 2003, the benefits of the organization are nothing new to Steve Gorman. It’s likely that the president of Waldameer & Water World (Erie, Pennsylvania) gives more attention to ACE’s emails and spends more time reading the publications than the average member. What has changed is that he’s been bestowed a lifetime membership — ACE’s highest honor — and a plaque to acknowledge it.
Gorman didn’t grow up in the world of amusement parks, but he sure adopted it as his own. He previously worked as an engineer, which perhaps explains his keen interest in the rides after joining Waldameer some 31 years ago and learning the business.
Gorman learned from the best.
Waldameer’s Paul Nelson was named an ACE honorary member in 2014 by then-ACE President Dave Altman.
Photo: Joel Brewton-Riling. View full-sized image.
Amusement industry legend Paul Nelson was Gorman’s father-in-law, himself an honorary ACE member (presented in 2014). Until he passed away in 2023, he was the park’s owner and operator and mentored Gorman, who ascended to president in 2004. Nelson was committed to Waldameer’s success and continued growth, and it was important to him that it remain an affordable place for the families of Erie, Pennsylvania, to visit. That mission continues to this day.
These days, Gorman is the mentor — and the mentor to many. As a servant leader, he’s ever present on the midways, leading by example and helping to train hundreds of seasonal employees, instilling the park’s values in them, to provide guests with the best experience.
His moments of Zen occur at the top of Ravine Flyer II, the park’s 2008 coaster from The Gravity Group, which the park continues to maintain and heavily invest in. His frequent walks up the lift hill put him an extra 85 feet higher on the bluff overlooking the shores of one of America’s Great Lakes.
Members of the ACE Executive Committee joined ACE Western Pennsylvania Regional Representative Bill Linkenheimer III in honoring Steve Gorman at Ravine Flyer Frenzy.
Photo: Brett Weissbart. View full-sized image.
Always quick to point out that the park’s success is a not a solo effort, Gorman stated, “Our Waldameer team deserves this award as much as I do.” A portion of that team spans three generations and includes his wife, Nancy Gorman; son, Brian Gorman; and mother-in-law, Lane Nelson. All of them were present when ACE President Elizabeth Ringas surprised Gorman with his ACE honorary membership during ACE Western Pennsylvania’s Ravine Flyer Frenzy event at the park on June 7, 2025.
While Gorman has made an indelible mark on Waldameer & Water World, he’s also had quite an impact on ACE.
The 2005 edition of CoasterBash! (ACE Western Pennsylvania’s annual off-season event) was the first at which Gorman served as a presenter, and since 2008, he has virtually been a fixture on the lineup of speakers. When he arrives, his car is loaded with coaster wheels and other retired ride parts that will be auctioned and used as prizes. To say that he “gets us” is an understatement. At the podium, he shares stories and delivers the latest news from the park with wit and authenticity that illustrate both his passion for this industry and his friendship with ACE. When off the stage, he works the room like it’s a family reunion.
It’s unsurprising that he was the recipient of the annual ACE Western Pennsylvania Industry Appreciation Award in 2021.
Waldameer has hosted more than a dozen ACE events, including as a co-host of Coaster Con XXXIII in 2010 and a unique off-season tour in 2018 that had more than 50 ACE members standing in the empty wave pool for a group photo. At each event, the hands-on park president served as the main point of contact. Thanks to Gorman’s attention to detail, each activity within each event has gone off without a hitch, with him visible every step of the way yet somehow still having a finger on the pulse of everything happening at the park and making it all look rather easy with his mild-mannered demeanor.
“I am humbled by this recognition,” said Gorman. “ACE welcomes all sorts of members with a common goal to enjoy roller coasters, but the support and promotion of amusement parks is tremendous, and I am grateful for the relationship.”
— Bill Linkenheimer III, ACE Western Pennsylvania Regional Representative
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