Sonja Krause Goodwin

1933 - 2021

Goodwin, Sonja Krause SLINGERLANDS Sonja Krause Goodwin was born in St. Gall, Switzerland on August 10, 1933, and died on December 1, 2021, at Albany Medical Center in Albany. Her parents fled Nazi Germany and resettled in Manhattan Island where they opened a German book store. Sonja spoke German and French as a small child but entered elementary school in the U.S. without speaking a word of English. Interested in science from a very young age, she was a member of the first group of girls to be admitted to the Bronx High School of Science. She earned her B.S. in chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (R.P.I.) and then a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1957. After working for industry for six years, she joined the Peace Corps and spent one year in Nigeria and one year in Ethiopia, teaching science and mathematics. Two books that she wrote about her years in the Peace Corps were published earlier this year. On her return, she accepted a position at R.P.I and taught there for 37 years, advancing through the positions of associate professor and professor, and retiring in 2004. She married Walter Goodwin in 1970 (predeceased in 2010) and from him inherited two children, three grandchildren and two great- grandchildren. She loved to travel internationally and was an avid bridge player. A memorial service will be planned later in the year. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity, Southern Poverty Law Center or Planned Parenthood.