In Memoriam David K. Goodman ’74
What I will always remember and cherish about Dave Goodman is that he was larger than life. Those who had the pleasure of meeting him saw that he was a big guy physically, but those who got to know him soon realized his immense capacity for friendship, curiosity and conversation. He even had big emotions; it was not uncommon to see him shed tears about something dear to his heart. Similarly, there was nothing small-minded about Dave, even if you were disagreeing with him over politics, business or the state of Juniata’s sports teams. He had no problem reaching out to others to ask about a business idea or to find an answer to something he didn’t know. I was always grateful that he felt comfortable enough around me to speak his mind about how the College was doing and where we should go in the future. No one was more proud of his accomplished family than Dave, yet few individuals I have met have been as personally humble as this most successful of men. When the College sought to honor his many contributions by awarding him an honorary degree, I spent weeks politely listening to Dave try to talk me out of it before insisting that he allow us to honor his greatly appreciated contributions to his alma mater. Dave made large, lasting and important contributions to the College, offerings that altered our physical and metaphorical landscape forever. Donations such as the Goodman Chair in Biology, honoring former biology professor Ken Rockwell ’57; research assistantships in earth sciences, humanities and social sciences; and an academic scholarship have been tremendously beneficial to Juniata. Yet for me, it’s the small, largely anonymous gestures Dave made that reveal what a good man he was: the purchase of NCAA championship rings for every member of the 2004 women’s volleyball team, refurbishing the women’s basketball locker room, a kind phone call congratulating an employee on a good job. To his friends, family and colleagues, I can think of no better parting words than to say David Goodman did not play at life, he lived it from beginning to end. —Thomas R. Kepple Jr., president of Juniata College David K. Goodman ’74, Juniata Trustee from 2002 until his death, and president and CEO of D.C. Goodman and Sons Inc. died Aug. 19 at age 58. Goodman, a member of the Class of 1974, attended the college for three years until leaving before his senior year to work for his family’s business. At commencement in May, he received an honorary doctoral degree that he termed “his highest honor.” Although Goodman’s studies focused on biology at Juniata, his talent for business helped grow his family’s mechanical contracting firm to a multimillion-dollar company. In the early 1990s he purchased the business from his parents and served as president and CEO for almost 20 years. He also was a founding member of Nittany Bank, serving on its board of directors. He also served on the board of National Penn Bancshares after Nittany Bank was acquired by the larger bank. He retired in 2011 as a director for Huntingdon County United Way, where he served previously as a board member, past president and past campaign chair.
Juniata
He also served on the board of directors for Miller Auto Parts Co. in Huntingdon and Golden Eagle Asset Management Company in New York City. He was a member of the state 80
finance committee for the Republican Party and was a member of the Pennsylvania Society of New York. Goodman was a champion for Juniata programs. His first act was to create the D.C. Goodman Scholarship, (honoring his grandfather), awarded each year to a child of a D.C. Goodman employee. In 2007, he established the Goodman-Rockwell Chair in Biology. He also helped fund opportunities for faculty in the humanities, social sciences and earth sciences to do summer research with Juniata students. He also gave generously to a variety of Juniata building projects, most notably the von Liebig Center for Science and Founders Hall. He contributed regularly to the Juniata Scholarship Fund and contributed work toward a new athletic locker room for the Juniata women’s basketball team. Goodman’s firm has been intertwined with Juniata since the 1950s, and most recently, the company was the mechanical and electrical contractor for the von Liebig Center for Science, the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts and Founders Hall. Goodman was a member of the class of 1974. He is survived by his mother, Marjorie Goodman, daughter Alison ’01, companion Anne Nicklas Layng and stepson Brian MacDonald, brothers Steven and James Goodman, and sister Ellen Goodman.