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Paul S. Goodwin La Canada, CA QCWA # 14842 Chapter 7 OOTC # 2445 |
November 9, 1919 - September 26, 2016 Paul S. Goodwin, 96, died peacefully at home in La Canada Flintridge on September 26.
Born in Hollywood, he graduated from Stanford University with advanced degrees in electrical engineering.
His first job was with Sperry Gyroscope in New York, where he met and married Kathleen Hanway, his wife of 70 years.
Paul's early passion for amateur radio led him to a 25-year career with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
As Deep Space Network manager for the NASA Apollo Moon missions during the 1960s, he was part of the planetary tracking and communication team that brought Neil Armstrong's famous "one giant leap for mankind" message to the world. He also worked on NASA's Mariner and Viking missions to Mercury and Mars. He provided tracking support for the West German Helios Project, an unmanned spacecraft that orbited the sun, and worked on the Soviet Venus Balloon experiment-a top-secret project that was conducted at the height of tensions over the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 crisis.
When he retired, Paul purchased an RV and he and Kay took off on a 10,000-mile trip around the United States. They also enjoyed extensive international travel, including a cruise on Russia's Volga River, a hair-raising train ride along Mexico's Copper Canyon, and a South American/Antarctic cruise that crossed Cape Horn during gale force winds.
Paul pursued his enthusiasm for fly fishing at the family's June Lake summer cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains. He and his wife studied photography and were active members of Pasadena Photochromers.
For 15 years they spent winters at their second home at Rancho Casa Blanca, Indio, CA where Paul established an emergency radio rescue network and began a new hobby of woodcarving.
Paul is survived by his wife Kay, daughter Meredith, son Brad, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild. He was predeceased by son Donald James Goodwin and great-grandson Chenrezig Goodwin von Trott zu Solz.
A memorial service will be held at La Canada Presbyterian Church on December 4 at 2:00 p.m.
Published in the Los Angeles Times from Nov 1 to Nov 6, 2016