Dr. James A. Goodman Sr., MED

Obituary For Dr. James A. Goodman Sr., MED

Dr. James a Goodman of Conley, Ga., passed on February 22,2021. Service entrusted to Smith, Dennis-Smith Funeral Home, 3047 Campbellton Rd. SW. Atlanta, Ga. 30311. Memorial Service for Dr. Goodman will held on March 12, 2021 at Morehouse School of Medicine 12:30pm.

Life Story of Dr. James A. Goodman

Dr. James A. Goodman was born April 22, 1933 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Coming from a large family of 10 children, he learned quickly what it took to stand out. The things that “Jim” as his friends called him, accomplished during his lifetime is clear proof of this fact. Working jobs in the fields during the summers and always studying, Dr. Goodman got accepted to Morehouse College where he became a member of the famous Class of 1956. During that time, he met in church his wife, the future Mrs. Gwendolyn Jones Goodman. After graduating from Morehouse College, he went to what was then known as Clark College’s School of Social Work. There he earned his Master’s in Social Work and became a father. After graduation, James and Gwendolyn packed up their family, and moved from Georgia to Los Angles, California. There, he began his long career in social work, later becoming the city’s Director of Social Services, responsible for ten health districts. Soon, academia lured him away. He became a lecturer at the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work. Next stop, the family moved to Minnesota where he received his PhD in Social Work from the University of Minnesota. After graduation, Dr. Goodman packed up the family again and accepted a position as the first African American Vice-Provost of the University of Washington. This was a time of heightened racial tension, not only at the UW, but in the entire country. At the University of Washington, black football players protested the racism of their coach. As the highest-ranking black official at the university, Dr. Goodman often spoken for the black football players on television and other media in the area. This led to constant death threats and vandalism at the family home. Soon, undercover University police, and the Black Panther Party protected the Goodman home. The Black Panther Party often held meetings at the Goodman’s home. Dr. Goodman’s career led him next to work for the government in Washington, D.C., but soon he took the family back to Minnesota to accept the position as the Dean of the School of Social Work. However, with his son returning to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College, Dr. Goodman reconnected with many of his old classmates in Atlanta. When Jimmy Carter became President of the United States, Dr. Goodman was selected to become Special Director for the Agency of International Development in the State Department. This position allowed him to bring large numbers of talented African students to this country to study. Students from all over the world were always welcome in the Goodman household. In 1980, Dr. Goodman joined the newly created Morehouse School of Medicine. Starting out as the Assistant Dean for Administration in 1980, he became Executive Vice President until 1989 when he became President of Morehouse School of Medicine. He retired from MSM in 1992. Once he retired, Dr. Goodman ran a number of private companies until his health forced him to truly retire. Dr. James A. Goodman was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Gwendolyn who was a lifelong member of the Links, Inc. and other civic organizations. He is survived by his son, James A. Goodman, Jr. JD., his daughter in-law, Atika Chaaboui, his daughter Rhonda Goodman, and his two grandchildren, Yusuf W. Goodman, and Zaid R. Good