James "Mike" GOHEEN

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." - Henry David Thoreau
Mike Goheen's work accomplishments were extraordinary, but nothing compared to the complete résumé of his life. He was an award-winning design and news professional, skillful cook, voracious reader, backyard handyman, impressive street photographer, classic movie buff, abiding friend and walking encyclopedia. Sadly, his genius left the world much too early when he died in the emergency room at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Oh., on September 7, 2017. James Michael Goheen, 51, was the only child of James and Helen Goheen. Born in Murray, Ky., Mike grew up in Calvert City, Ky., a smalll town in the western part of the state, where his mom served as a teacher and his dad as a long-time principal in the Marshall County school system. When Mike was a toddler, his paternal grandmother, Polly Goheen, babysat while his parents worked at school. Mike's deep love of movies started at an early age when his mom would bring him to the Calvert City Drive-In, a family business that is still in operation. While his mom was busy taking tickets, Mike would spend time in the projection room, watching movies and exploring the mechanics of the projectors. His love of film that began under the cover of stars followed him throughout his life, serving as the inspiration for many deep, insightful, animated discussions with friends over the years. Today it's no accident that the TV is pre-programmed to turn to the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) channel whenever it is turned on. During many visits back to his hometown, Mike was sure to stop by the drive-in concession stand for a cheeseburger or "The SINK" pizza. He'd also be sure to make time to visit his beloved "Granny," 106-year-old Evelyn Harrington, where they would talk about everything from current events to days long gone by. Age did not stop Granny. She was always sure to make Mike a sandwich or have a delicious dessert ready and waiting. Friends in Dayton know Granny through this and other touching stories that often revolved around her homemade chocolate cakes. Born with the mind of an engineer and curiosity that knew no bounds, Mike never stopped trying to figure out how things worked. A trip to Disneyworld as a child was spent exploring how the rides were constructed and operated. After returning home, he shared, in exhaustive detail, his discoveries with his cousins and was inspired to build multiple theme parks with supplies from a nearby junk pile at the drive-in. While attending Marshall County High School, Mike went to various sporting events with his dad, played the trombone in the band, and traveled with the Marshall County High School Band to the Rose Bowl Parade. The jacket with the patch from the parade still hangs in his closet. For at least one season, Mike served as his school mascot the Marshall County Marshal. Mike was a broadcast major at Western Kentucky University as he sometimes reminded us by pulling out his "TV announcer" voice but he gravitated toward the Talisman (yearbook) staff and then the College Heights Herald because of his interest in page design. He and the team won several awards for their design work, including two from Columbia Scholastic Press Association at Columbia University. Before joining the Dayton Daily News on the copy desk, Mike worked at Capital Newspapers in Albany, N.Y.; Pharos Tribune in Logansport, Ind.; and The News Enterprise in Elizabethtown, the Courier-Journal in Louisville, and The Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro all in Kentucky. For more than 22 years at Cox Media Group (CMG), Mike served in many roles on both the print and digital sides of the news business, originally focused on Dayton and expanding to support locations in Atlanta, Austin, and West Palm Beach. The early years for Mike at the Dayton Daily News were filled with designing and laying out pages, crafting page templates, working with editors on the copy desk to ensure proper font use, developing endless prototypes for what would become the next version of the newspaper, and other design-related projects for which he won several awards. Many nights, there were multiple managers looking over Mike's shoulder watching him work. Regardless of the situation, Mike always remained calm, cool and collected. Mike embraced technology and change. He served as director of digital efforts and worked with the team to design and launch the DaytonDailyNews.com website in the early 1990s. In recent years, Mike worked with teams around the country to develop and launch the Newspaper Shared Services division. This new organizational structure would serve as a model for others and was put in place to help CMG adapt to the constant changes in the newspaper business. Most recently, Mike served as senior director of publishing operations at CMG. Mike excelled at breaking down, examining, and redeveloping complicated systems and processes for newspaper production. As the newspaper business continued to change, Mike and others were forced to make difficult decisions to say goodbye to scores of long-tenured friends and colleagues. Mike was very sensitive to the fact that changes were impacting real people, and he worked hard to keep them in the forefront as the changes were implemented. Throughout Mike's career, he served as a mentor and educator to dozens of coworkers, many of whom are now working in newspapers and other industries around the country. Mike lived in Dayton for more than 22 years. He met his long-time partner, Craig Schrolucke, shortly after arriving. Seven years ago, Mike and Craig moved to the South Park Historic District into a 19th-century home with their cat Robert. In the last few years, Mike became an expert at caulking, painting, using the leaf blower, and cleaning the pump in their backyard fountain. During a recent bathroom remodeling project, Mike told the contractor he would like to have a random pattern to the floor tiles. The contractor was not quite sure what that meant. Mike took all of the tiles out of the boxes, laid them out as he thought might look best, and showed the contractor. That pattern is on the floor today. Mike's appreciation for food started early in life. As a youngster, Mike would spend time with his grandmama Goheen as they perfected their recipe for killer brownies. His aunt "Dodie," Delores Williams, worked at the county extension office where she published an annual cookbook. Mike and grandma's brownie recipe was published in one of the editions. Comfortable in front of a kitchen stove and an outdoor grill, Mike loved to cook, and along with Craig's help, would host small gatherings with close friends in their home and recently renovated backyard. Mike enjoyed foods from all over the world and was willing to try just about any recipe at least once. Some of Mike's friends' favorite recipes include leeky chicken, lemon cake, flourless chocolate cake, rosemary-baked beans, bacon brussel sprouts, peasant salad, lemon chicken and standing rib roast. There wasn't an ingredient out there that he could not figure out how to work with in a way that made each dish and preparation sing. A voracious reader born before the era of the Kindle, Mike would make weekly trips to the library, where he would gather eight to 10 books at a time on subjects ranging from art to zoology and everything in between, with one exception: no romance novels. As a child, he would often read the encyclopedia in his free time. Born with a photographic memory, he was a fount of knowledge and an outstanding trivia partner. From an early age, Mike had a profound relationship with the camera. As a street photographer, he would often focus his lens on discarded, lost or otherwise forgotten subjects. He had an eye for capturing images that gave his subjects new life. During trips back to his hometown, he would reconnect with a high school friend who shared his passion for photography. They would take adventures through abandoned and derelict buildings and talk about experimental methods of capturing pictures. A few years ago, after coaxing from Craig and others, Mike started to enter his work into photography shows held at the Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC). A few of his pieces were sold during their annual fundraising efforts. It was clear to anyone who came in c ontact with him that Mike's skills and talents ran deep. He could fix just about anything. When the flat-screen TV stopped working, he researched the issue, took the TV apart, soldered a jumper cable to the board, and reassembled it. Seven years later, it's still working, albeit with the occasional rap to the side with a shoe. Mike was a cowboy-hat-wearing, big-hearted, one-of-a-kind man, who embodied intellect, creativity, passion, love and vision. His exuberant, hearty laugh and unique sense of humor was infectious. When something struck him as funny, he laughed a laugh that could be heard across the room or throughout the floor at the office. Mike had a unique perspective and way of seeing the world. His colleagues, friends and family are all better for having had time to see things from his point of view. He is deeply missed by all who knew him. Mike is survived by his life-partner Craig Schrolucke, Dayton, Oh.; his "Granny," Evelyn Harrington, Calvert City, Ky.; his uncle Gordon and aunt Debbie Goheen of Marthasville, Mo.; aunt Delores and uncle Jim Williams of Butler, Pa., his uncles Steve Harrington and Mike Harrington, all of Calvert City, Ky; and his extended family in Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, and Texas. To honor Mike's memory and his love of photography, a memorial fund is being established in Mike's name at DVAC. This fund will award an annual prize to encourage and recognize street photographers or photographers using experimental photographic methods. To learn more or to make a memorial gift to this fund, please contact DVAC or visit www.daytonvisualarts.org A Celebration of Life event will be held October 14, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at DVAC, in downtown Dayton. There will be no formal services during this event. Friends, family and coworkers are invited to stop by throughout the evening to enjoy Mike's photography, share a few memories, listen to music from his playlist, enjoy a little food, and honor the memory of this gifted, talented, visionary man. The family will hold a private service at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Oh., at a later date.