Sunday, May 28, 2000
The serving continues
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
After spending many years helping Heidelberg College maintain its financial stability, Bill Goodwin is still actively promoting his alma mater. He was honored recently by receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the college May 13 during the graduate commencement ceremony.
Bill Goodwin, retired vice president of development at Heidelberg, is still actively helping the college's appeals as president of the "H'' Association.
A Heidelberg graduate himself, class of 1956, Goodwin lived in the Akron area while working for the Boys Scouts of America until 1965.
His opportunity to return to Heidelberg was initiated by past football coach and vice president of development, Paul Hoernemann. "He tried to entice me to come back and work in development,'' he recalled.
The possibility of his returning to the college to work was put on the back burner after the sudden death of Hoernemann. "President Wickham just offered Paul's job to someone else,'' Goodwin said. "Then he asked if I was interested in the alumni position. I started July 1, 1965.''
Goodwin served as alumni director from 1965 to 1976. From 1976 to 1980, he was the director of the annual fund. In 1980, he moved to the position of director of development until 1984, when he took the post of vice president, which he had until his retirement in 1994.
"What is rather unique, in a way,'' Goodwin said, "is when you look at colleges and universities, there are very few people who have started and retired with the same institution. They don't last that long. I had many opportunities to leave and take other positions, but we liked it here.''
Both he and his wife are Heidelberg graduates and wanted to raise their children in this community. "Both this town and the college was home,'' he added.
Reflecting on his years of fund raising for higher education, Goodwin said that he was proud of the results of the last Capital Campaign he led at Heidelberg. "It was launched in 1989 and completed in 1993,'' he explained. "It was for a goal of $10 million and we achieved $20 million. We went 10 million over our goal.
"In all those years, I never missed a financial goal in a campaign,'' Goodwin said proudly. "The money was for endowments, scholarships and renovations in the buildings; a large segment was endowment and scholarships.''
Besides serving as president of the "H'' Association, he helps out in the Alumni Affairs office. "We have had a lot of success due to the dedication and willingness of the alumni and friends to financially support the college,'' he said. "My job was just to make sure it happened.''
He said he has missed the relationships he has had in the past with alumni and friends of the college. "The alumni of the college have been good to my wife and I,'' Goodwin said.
He has had some unique, once in a lifetime, experiences due to the generosity of Heidelberg alumni.
"In 1976, we were on the host ship for the Tall Ships fleet in Baltimore. An alumnus made it possible,'' Goodwin explained. "In 1992, we found ourselves on the U.S.S. George Washington before it went into service, and the opportunity to sail on a Navy ship on the Great Lakes. We got into places we had no business being in, with alumni who made it all possible.''
He is also proud of a scholarship established in his name by alumni of the Excelsior fraternity and friends upon his retirement.
"When I came here in 1987, '' said Jamie Abel, Heidelberg's director of College Relations and Marketing Communications, "Bill Goodwin instantly became a mentor to me. One thing that always amazed me was how he could have seen a person for five minutes, five years ago, and recognize that person in the street today and know their name.''
Abel said Goodwin knew more people and stories about Heidelberg than anyone he had met.
One of those was long time friend, and now fellow officer of the "H'' Association, Jim Getz.
"We were students together at Heidelberg. He was a couple of years ahead,'' Getz said. "I came back to Heidelberg as a coach, and he came in the alumni office. We worked closely with sports and alumni relations.''
Getz said his son and daughter and Goodwin's children, also a son and daughter, were the same age. "Our families grew up together; we did a lot of things together. We camped and traveled, went to athletic contests; I was usually the coach and he would bring our family with his to the event.''
Getz said that Goodwin was still an ambassador for the development office at the college thanks to his work.
"He is just a straight shooter and is highly organized,'' Getz said of his friend. "You always know where you stand with Bill. Anytime we needed help, he was always the first one to be there.''
Goodwin has been enjoying his retirement years, doing what some see as work, woodworking and remodeling. He also has time to enjoy his collection of model trains and continue his 30-year hobby of sailing on Lake Erie.
"My experiences have been so broad,'' Goodwin said. "When I look back at my life, if God wants to take me tomorrow, I have lived a very full and fulfilling life.
"Heidelberg has been the whole catalyst that's made that life,'' he added.