THOMASVILLE — People who knew Wallace Goodman, Jr. since he was a boy growing up in Oklahoma did not differ on his attributes.

“He was a gentleman when he was eight,” said John Moseley, a resident of Morgan’s Point Resort in Texas. Moseley has known Goodman since the two were eight years old growing up in Durant, Oklahoma. He said Goodman, as an adult, never sought recognition for his services to the communities in which he lived. “He saw a need and was passionate. That’s the way he grew up, too,” Moseley explained.

Barbara Park, a Thomasville resident, agreed. “I love his passion and energy he puts into making things happen.” She added, “He is a loyal friend and made Thomasville better.”

Goodman published newspapers in Oklahoma, Maine, and Enterprise, Alabama. He was publisher of the Thomasville Times-Enterprise from 1993 to 1999. He then became Director/Chief Executive Officer of Pebble Hill Plantation. He said the most exciting experiences in his life were at Pebble Hill and at newspapers. Goodman’s philosophy about newspapers: “If I could make the newspaper a great newspaper, that makes a community a great place to live.”

His eyes lit up as he described the only extra edition he published at the Enterprise Ledger. Suddenly, the FBI descended on the Alabama town and installed telephone lines. “They came to the newspaper and told us what they were doing,” Goodman explained. FBI agents were looking for a suspect in the bombing death of an Alabama federal judge. The suspect was not found in Enterprise. Goodman recalled that national news media “hung out” at his newspaper. Said Goodman, “Most people do not understand what it would be like to chase down a potential bomber.”

Joe White, an Edmond, Oklahoma, resident and Goodman’s friend since first grade, recalled that he, Goodman and some other friends decided in the summer of 1962, to throw water balloons at parked cars on a country road. The pickup in which they were traveling overturned. Everyone survived, Goodman suffered a broken arm. Said White, “Wallace was always a friend, but this accident made us all very close the rest of our school years.”

Larry Murphy entered Durant High School his junior year. “Coming from the farm and a small school, I was very shy and a little scared. Wallace was the one who embraced me from the start. He invited me to his home to meet his mother,” said Murphy, a Fort Worth, Texas, resident.

Ben Lindquist, a Thomasville attorney, described Goodman as “one of the finest men I know and a trusted friend.” Lindquist added, “He is aptly named ‘Goodman’ – a very good man.” Goodman and his wife, Debbie, became “Thomasville” parents and grandparents to the Lindquist family. “Wallace is an extraordinary example of one who lives life with integrity, kindheartedness, and high character,” Lindquist said. “We love him dearly.”

Thomasville resident Joe Davis described Goodman as “always kind to everyone in all situations.” Davis added, “He is genuine about his kindness. It is not for show, but that he genuinely cares about others as individuals and who they are.”

Also a Thomasville resident, Roosevelt Andrews considers Goodman “a good man and fair.”

Janie Semple-Umsted, a Choctaw artist in Goodman’s Oklahoma hometown, was a member of Goodman’s first grade class at Washington Irving Elementary School. Classmates were her first friends. “Wallace’s personality was the same then as it is now – kind, steadfast, thoughtful, reliable, gentle and a true friend to many of us,” Semple-Umsted explained.

Thomasville Resident Mike Bixler considers Goodman “great, loyal, considerate and a kind friend.” He added, “Anyone who could be called a friend by Wallace is fortunate.”

“Wallace is one of the finest individuals I have known,” said Marta Jones-Turner, current Rotary Club of Thomasville president. “He is of deep thought, keen intellect, wisdom, quick wit and compassion for others.” Turner appreciates Goodman’s “wise counsel, charming personality and his friendship.”

George Hangs and Goodman became friends while both lived in Nowata, Oklahoma, where Goodman published a newspaper. Hangs, now a Tulsa, Oklahoma, resident, recalled that Goodman was instrumental in obtaining a state grant for a Nowata industrial park. The money enhanced the park, which Cherokees today use as a reserve. Hangs explained that Goodman, a skilled photographer, was journalistically responsible for bringing about positive developments in Nowata.

Goodman stated that his philosophy was that every community should have a “great Chamber, a great radio station, and a great newspaper.”

Goodman said one of the nicest things ever said about him was made by a member of the Pebble Hill Board of Trustees: “I shall always remember you fondly as an extremely intelligent and capable administrator with a true Southerner’s empathetic soul and ability to maneuver with skill among disparate personalities.”