In Memoriam - Gene Goodwin

Lawn Bowls has lost a special friend with the passing of Gene Goodwin on Feb. 13, 2012 at his home near Reading, Pennsylvania. He was 89 years old. Gene was a journalist who worked for newspapers in Baltimore and Washington, DC and later taught journalism at Penn State. He was made Professor Emeritus in 1998 and continued to teach for two more years after retiring. He served as a first lieutenant in the Air Force in WWII and received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

He and wife Fran, who survives him, moved to Mount Dora, Florida after retirement and joined the Mount Dora LBC in 1987. He served as president of the club in 1993-94 and with Fran, started the club newsletter in 1994. He also wrote weekly columns on the activities of the club for the local newspaper.  He was awarded a Special Recognition Award in 2005 by the Mount Dora LBC for his many years of service.

Gene was the Southeast Division Correspondent to Bowls Magazine, the forerunner to Bowls USA, from 1992 until 2002. In 2002, he took on the job as editor of Bowls USA, a post he held until 2007. Gene was the Southeast Division’s Councilor from 1992-2006. He was inducted into the Lawn Bowling Hall of Fame in 2006 for his many achievements in the Southeast Division and the USLBA.  Of all his accomplishments, he was most proud of being the key individual in the successful merger of the ALBA and the AWLBA in 2000. He had campaigned for the merger beginning in 1998.

Gene’s family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the scholarship fund he and Fran established to aid disadvantaged journalism students at Penn State: The Gene and Fran Goodwin Journalism Scholarship of the College of Communications Penn State University, 301 James Bldg. 123 South Burrowes St., State College, PA 16801.