George Goodwin

1917 - 2015

GOODWIN, George George Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and public relations trailblazer, helped shape modern Atlanta. Since the 1940s, his quiet influence helped guide the city into becoming an economic powerhouse and major population center. His greatest talent was helping people of different political, religious, and social backgrounds work together for the common good of Atlanta. He never sought the personal spotlight, believing instead in Robert Woodruff's creed, "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit." George Evans Goodwin, Jr., died on January 21, 2015 at his Atlanta home. He was 97. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM, Monday, January 26, at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Atlanta - 3003 Howell Mill Road N.W. As an Atlanta newspaper reporter - first with The Atlanta Georgian and later with The Atlanta Journal - he covered many of Atlanta's biggest stories, including the motion picture premiere of "Gone With The Wind" and the Winecoff Hotel fire, which remains America's deadliest hotel fire. As a Journal reporter in 1947, his series exposing voting fraud in Telfair County, where the dead voted in alphabetical order, was tied to a point in Georgia's infamous history when three politicians claimed to be the state's governor. In 1948 for this investigative series, Mr. Goodwin was awarded the first Pulitzer Prize in the category of Distinguished Local Reporting ...and the first for the newspaper. He later explained to Journal readers details of the 1951 Plan of Improvement which expanded Atlanta's city limits and changed government responsibilities in Atlanta and Fulton County. His interest in civic affairs never ceased. In 1965, he opened the Atlanta office of Bell and Stanton Public Relations, headquartered in New York. This was Atlanta's first national public relations firm and later called Manning, Selvage & Lee. It is now known as MS&L Worldwide and continues to count among its clients many of Atlanta's premier businesses. Mr. Goodwin was acknowledged nationally as Atlanta's "dean of public relations." Two awards are named in his honor: MS&L's grant for community service and the Public Relations Society of America Georgia chapter's award for volunteer service. Search Atlanta's history over the past 65 years and you'll find George Goodwin's name subtly interwoven. His role in shaping the city is preserved in the archives of the state's major universities. Be it planning for growth and development; sustaining libraries and the arts; promoting philanthropy; improving education; advancing race relations or encouraging civic responsibility, George Goodwin was a force for progress and understanding. He helped charities and foundations raise and distribute money. He applied his exceptional writing skills to present the city favorably to business interests around the world. Mr. Goodwin's ability to listen and then share advice was valued by generations of Atlanta civic, business and government leaders. Mayors William B. Hartsfield, Ivan Allen Jr., Sam Massell, Maynard Jackson, Andrew Young, and Shirley Franklin sought his counsel as did many seeking public office. He was admired as a progressive thinker who understood and drew energy from the urban environment. Born and raised in Atlanta's West End, he lived near the Wren's Nest library branch which became almost a second home for him. As a teenager, he sold issues of The Saturday Evening Post. Mr. Goodwin was a life-long supporter of his alma mater, Atlanta's old Boys High School, and in 2006 - with Herbert Miller and Anya Martin - wrote the book "Boys' High Forever: The History of an Extraordinary Atlanta Public High School." Washington and Lee University, from which he graduated in 1939, awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1997. He served in the Office of Naval Intelligence in the Pacific during World War II and was a Purple Heart recipient. Mr. Goodwin is also honored with a place in the Atlanta Press Club's Hall of Fame and was the 2011 recipient of the Central Atlanta Progress Dan Sweat Award. He and his beloved wife, Lois "Skippy" Goodwin, were among the founders of Trinity Presbyterian Church on Howell Mill Road in 1949. Former Trinity senior minister the Rev. Joanna Adams, speaking at Mr. Goodwin's 95th birthday observance, said, "Of all the legacies George is going to leave, most significant has been helping our city learn how different people can live together and communicate with each other in a spirit of civility and respect." Also at that birthday celebration, Trinity's current senior pastor, the Rev. Pam Driesell, said of Mr. Goodwin, "You spent your days -- and spend your days still -- investing in community. You sacrificed your time, energy, intellect, words, and other resources when you invested in the community of Trinity Presbyterian Church. It is a thriving community of faith that has invested in the community of Atlanta ... and those investments continue to bear fruit." (Continued in next column)