Donor Legacies
The Gerlach Family
Gift of a Lifetime
The Gerlach Family Fund is a donor advised fund, whereby they can remain actively involved in recommending or suggesting grants from the fund over time.
The Gerlachs are very interested in recognizing and honoring outstanding public servants. Much like his parents before him, Mr. Franklin Gerlach has been active in public service throughout his life. A life-long Portsmouth resident, Franklin holds a Bachelor Degree in Business from the University of Cincinnati, a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati. After graduation from law school, Frank returned to Portsmouth and worked for the City of Portsmouth, first as the Director of Purchasing, Planning, and Urban Renewal, and as City Manager for 3 ½ years. He was Ohio’s youngest City Manager at the time. Franklin returned to the public sector and served as the city’s first mayor under the new charter for eight years.
The Gerlachs envision their fund in time supporting a number of public service awards such as the Mayor’s Choice Award to a citizen or group who made a positive improvement to the City of Portsmouth, President of City Council Award to a Portsmouth employee for outstanding public service, and the Albert T. Gerlach Award to a member of the Portsmouth Fire Department selected by members of the fire department for outstanding public and community service. This award would honor the memory of Mr. Gerlach’s father, who was a member of the Portsmouth Fire Department. The Nora A. Gerlach Award would honor a member of the Portsmouth Police Department selected by members of the police department for outstanding public and community service. This award will honor the memory of Mr. Gerlach’s mother. The Dewey Vernon Baker Award would acknowledge an outstanding veteran who served his country and his fellow veterans and is involved in community service and leadership. This award is to honor Mr. Gerlach’s brother who passed away in 2001. The City of Portsmouth Public Education, Service and Community Service Award would o to a faculty member teaching at the elementary, middle or high school level in the Portsmouth City Schools. A faculty member would also be selected from the Sciotoville Community School. This award is in appreciation of the education received by Franklin and his two children Valarie and Phil Gerlach.
The purpose of these awards is to “encourage all to leave the City of Portsmouth better than it was left to them, so our area will grow and prosper,†said Mr. Gerlach. In the Portsmouth area there are awards to honor our outstanding business leaders. In the near future through the Gerlach Family Fund, there will be awards to recognize and reward the outstanding public servants as well in our community.
Attorneys Franklin and Cynthia Gerlach are the parents of two children Valarie and Phil. Valarie is an attorney and practices law in Portsmouth with her parents. Phil, a businessman, resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.