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W. Richard Goodwin ’49, MA ’50

Richard Goodwin ’49, MA ’50, of a stroke, October 24, 1996, in Denver, Colorado. He was a trustee of Reed College from 1973 to 1985. Richard earned a PhD in psychology from Stanford in 1955. He worked for the Rand Corporation and the Systems Development Corporation to develop a large computer-based control system for the Strategic Air Command and served as division manager at Systems Development Corporation. In 1965 he formed his own consulting company, W.R. Goodwin and Company, and shortly thereafter joined Johns Manville Corporation as vice president of corporate planning. He was later named president and chief executive officer of the firm. During his tenure at the company, their sales more than doubled. However, as a result of differences with board members over management style, he resigned in 1976. He then formed Goodwin Companies, a holding company for a variety of operations, and later formed Hughs Capital Corporation, another holding company. He was also an adjunct professor at New York University’s Graduate School of Business. He was active in the effort to bring the 1976 Winter Olympic Games to Denver, an attempt that ultimately failed. In 1975 he was named one of 200 outstanding executives by Financial World magazine. He is survived by his son, Douglas Goodwin ’83, a daughter; and a sister. His brother, Alan Goodwin ’53, preceded him in death.

Appeared in Reed magazine: February 1997

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