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<em>William James Goodwin, Jr.</em> was born to William James Goodwin, Sr. and Alma Nadyne Budd Goodwin in Washington, DC. The eldest of three children, his younger sis­ter, Jeannine Goodwin Heppler, now lives in Ogden, UT; and his younger brother, Ronald Lee Goodwin, now lives in Pflugerville, TX, but works in Washington, DC. Their father died when Bill was only 18.</p>
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In 1948, after graduating from East High School in Salt Lake City, UT, Bill began at­tending the University of Utah, where he played the clarinet in the band. In 1951, he received a congressional appointment to West Point and entered the Academy that summer.</p>
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At the Academy, Bill roomed with Bill Cummings and Willie Wix for three years, and it must have been confusing to have three Bills in the same room! Academically, Bill ex­celled in the sciences but struggled with Eng­lish. He lettered on the rifle team, belonged to the Rifle Club for three years, and was on the Ring Committee all four years. He once bought an air pistol and taught his younger brother to shoot. They sat on the back porch of their mother’s house and shot at her tulips. His mother didn’t appreciate the hands-on training, but Bill was an excellent teacher.</p>
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When Bill was home on leave, he prevailed upon his sister, who was attending Westmin­ster College, to fix him up on a blind date, and after some persuasion, Betty Louise Er­ickson consented. They were married on 29 Jun 1955, during graduation leave.</p>
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Commissioned in the Air Force, Bill en­tered flight training at Moore Air Base in Mission, TX. He was subsequently assigned to multi-engine training at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock and, after getting his wings, stayed on as an instructor pilot.</p>
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In 1959, Bill began studying physics at the University of Wisconsin. Bill and Betty’s daughter, Nancy Kay Goodwin Jinks, was born shortly after their arrival in Madison. In 1961, after earning his master’s degree, Bill was assigned to the Physics Department at the Air Force Academy. Because of his versatility, he also taught in the Engineering Mechanics Department. The head of both departments was COL Archie Higdon, who had been a professor at West Point when Bill was a ca­det. Bill and Betty’s son, William Eric Good­win, was born in their first year there, and their second daughter, Patricia Ann Goodwin Reeves, was born there three years later. For his work at the Academy, he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal.</p>
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Bill’s daughter Patricia remembers visiting the Washington monument in Washington, DC, when she was a small child. Seeing a sign warning visitors not to drop coins from the top, she asked Bill why. His long answer in­cluded velocity and assorted physics theories she didn’t understand. Even asking Bill ques­tions such as “Why is the sky blue?” resulted in detailed scientific explanations.</p>
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Later, when Bill was teaching Draft­ing 101 at New Mexico State University (NMSU), he asked Patricia if he could bor­row her treasured poster of teen heartthrob Erik Estrada. Bill explained to his puzzled daughter that because he was taking a poster of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman for his male students, he felt he must take Estrada in to give the women equal time. Bill always made his classes interesting!</p>
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As a cadet, Bill was interested in art and often drew sketches in his room. While at the Air Force Academy, he had the opportunity to study oil painting in Colorado Springs with a talented artist named Larry Harris. Another artist in the class remembers that whereas she had to take time to plan and organize her art­work, Bill was able to quickly develop a con­cept and put it on the canvas. Bill was a pro­lific artist and continued painting for the rest of his life. His daughter remembers fondly the many times she watched him paint in his home studio.</p>
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In the summer of 1966, while still at the Academy, Bill volunteered for temporary duty flying transports into Viet Nam, fly­ing troops in and evacuating casualties out of the country. In 1967, Bill left the Academy for the Office of Aerospace Research in Roslyn, VA, and was awarded an oak leaf cluster for the Air Force Commendation Medal. In his spare time, he taught at George Washing­ton University, where his father had attended many years before. His father had also served in the Army in WWI and was wounded in the neck during fighting in the Ardennes.</p>
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In 1970, Bill continued his work as an au­thority in laser engineering at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory at Kirtland AFB, NM, in charge of ground testing for the gas dy­namics laser program supporting develop­ment of tracking for the airborne laser weap­ons program. For this work he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.</p>
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Bill was subsequently stationed in Wash­ington, DC, where he worked on the Air Force chemical laser program. In 1976, Bill retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant col­onel. He then moved to Albuqueque, NM, where he worked for EG&G. In 1978 he was recruited by the Physical Sciences Lab at NMSU in Las Cruces, NM, because of his la­ser expertise. He was also a consultant to the Air Force at White Sands.</p>
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In the 1960s, Bill had suffered a heart at­tack while at the Air Force Academy and lat­er developed a heart condition. On 18 Mar 1981, he died of heart disease. He was bur­ied with full military honors at the National Cemetery at Ft. Bliss, TX.</p>
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After Bill’s death, Betty went back to school and earned a degree in business at NMSU. She worked for the Human Re­sources Department of the city of Las Cruces until she retired at age 70, and she continues to live there.</p>
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<em>Stan Harvill</em> ’5<em>5</em></p>