Joseph Barnard Goodman (1902 - 1986)

Born 15 Jul 1902 in Whiting, Monona, Iowa, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Mildred Vanessa (Denham) Goodman — married 29 Apr 1929 in Red Lodge, Carbon, Montana, USA

Died 23 May 1986 at age 83 in Harris, Texas, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Clarke Goodman [send private message]

Biography

Joseph Barnard Goodman was named after his uncle, Joseph Briggs Barnard and usually called by his middle name Barnard. Barnard was born July 15, 1902 in Whiting, Iowa. As the first child of Thomas and Carrie Goodman, he assumed the usual role of the first-born - authoritative and directive. He provided leadership and care for many of the younger family members. When he was in the eighth grade he contracted a severe vision problem. The local doctor gave him medication which caused blindness and he had to drop out of school. Later, he was successfully treated and his vision was restored, but he never returned to school. He suffered impaired vision the rest of his life.

Barnard showed a gift for mechanics and electricity very early in life. He kept the Model T Ford running and repaired the tires. Like his father, he was not afraid to try new ventures. He started his own soda bottling business and also produced honey from several hives of bees. The newly developing radio industry also interested him. He sent for a radio kit from the Ozarka Radio Company. He assembled the radio, and when a hundred feet or more of copper aerial was attached, programs from Jefferson City, Missouri, Salt Lake City, and even San Francisco could be heard with a headset which had to be passed around. This didn’t satisfy him, so he invented a magnetic speaker and attached a hand—molded speaker cone to the delight of the neighbors who came to hear the “miracle voices”. He assembled and sold a few more Ozarka radios. The original Ozarka radio was still operating in the Booram house fifty years later.

Later he moved to Casper and obtained a job as “lineman” for the local power company. After a few years he then was employed by the Texaco oil refinery in Casper as maintenance man for the instruments and meters. He invented several instruments and meters which greatly improved the control of the refining operations. While he was in the hospital for a brief stay, he fell in love with his nurse, Edith Denham who came from California. They were married April 29, 1929.

Thinking he could patent his inventions and make more money than Texaco was paying him, he resigned and moved to Fresno, California where he started a major appliance repair business. Unfortunately, in the depression years he could not make enough money to patent his inventions. When Texaco offered him a job as supervisor of instruments in their refinery in San Antonio, Texas, provided he turn over his inventions to the company, he accepted and moved to Texas with his little son, Barnard Jr. born February 12, 1930.

Barnard liven in San Antonio, Texas for several years. Edith was born April 17, 1937. Texaco then offered him the job as supervisor of instruments in their new and largest refinery in Philadelphia. He moved to Woodbury, New Jersey and worked in that refinery until he retired. The twenty or more electronics engineers he supervised never knew their boss had only an eighth grade education.

Upon retirement, Barnard moved to Friendswood, Texas to be nearer his children. He lived there about twenty years until he passed away after suffering with bone cancer. Barnard passed away 23 MAY 1986.

Sources

• Goodman, Mark. Goodman Family papers written about 1990