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University of Chicago Library

Guide to the Howard Goodman Papers 1900-1975

© 2021 University of Chicago Library

Descriptive Summary

Title:

Goodman, Howard. Papers

Dates:

1900-1975

Size:

1.5 linear feet (3 boxes)

Repository:

Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
1100 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.

Abstract:

Howard Goodman (1898- 1977) was a longtime trustee of the University of Chicago and of the Baptist Theological Union. He was also an active member of the Hyde Park community. This collection includes newspaper clippings, research reports, photographs, ephemera, correspondence, minutes, notes, administrative records and financial information related to Goodman’s activities involving the University of Chicago and the Chicago Metropolitan YMCA. Most of the material dates between 1950 and 1975.

Information on Use

Access

The collection is open for research.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Goodman, Howard. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Biographical Note

The Goodman family had a long history of involvement with the University of Chicago. Edward Goodman, the grandfather of Howard Goodman, was among the original twenty-one members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago, serving on the Board from 1890-1909. Herbert Goodman, the mother of Howard Goodman, provided funds in the 1920s to endow a scholarship fund in the Divinity School.

Howard Goodman was born in Hyde Park on February 17, 1898. As a child, he lived on Woodlawn Avenue and attended the University elementary and high schools. He received an A.B. degree from Williams College and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. In 1923, Goodman returned to Chicago and took a position in the Goodman Manufacturing Company, where he later became the chief executive officer.

Goodman was elected to the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago on May 13, 1942. He served actively until 1968 when, on reaching the age of 70, he was made a Life Trustee. He was an early advocate of the University’s subsequent decision to remain in Hyde Park. Working closely with Lawrence A. Kimpton and Julian Levi, Goodman provided significant leadership for the University’s urban renewal programs. He served as Chairman and member of the Ad Hoc Area Committee, the Special Committee on Neighborhood, and the Special Committee on Campus planning. He also served on many other regular and special committees, including the Committee on Business Administration, the Budget Committee, the Special Committee on Administrative Salaries, and the Special Committee on Memorials and Portraits. He served as Chairman and member of the Visiting Committee on the Divinity School, and as a member of the Visiting Committee on the School of Social Service Administration. He was a member, chairman, or honorary member of the Board of Trustees of the Baptist Theological Union for 47 years, from 1930 to his death in 1977. He was also for many years an active supporter and worker in the University’s campaign drives.

Goodman was active in civic and community organizations. He was a member of the Chicago Plan Commission and the Local Conservation Community Council. He was an active participant in the South East Chicago Commission, served on the Hyde Park and Kenwood Community Conservation Council and as President of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club. He was also a past president of the National Metal Trades Association, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Metropolitan YMCA.

Howard Goodman was married to Anna Goodman (d. 1981). The Goodmans had three children. After his death in 1977, a room in Swift Hall was dedicated to Howard Goodman’s memory.

Scope Note

The Howard Goodman Papers are organized into two Series: Series I: University of Chicago and Series II: YMCA. This collection includes newspaper clippings, research reports, photographs, ephemera, correspondence, minutes, notes, administrative records and financial information. The papers primarily document Goodman’s service as trustee of the University of Chicago and of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. The material dates between 1900 and 1975, with the bulk of the material dating between 1950 and 1975. Within each series or subseries, changes to Goodman’s original organization of his papers have been kept to a minimum.

Series I, University of Chicago, contains Goodman’s collection of newspaper clippings related to the University of Chicago, materials documenting his activities as a trustee of the University and specifically his involvement with campus planning, financing campaigns, the Committee on Memorials and Portraits, and the Baptist Theological Union. The series is divided into three subseries:

Subseries 1, Newspaper Collection, contains Goodman’s collection of newspaper clippings and reproductions, formerly stored in a large binder and dating between 1971 and 1975, related to the University of Chicago. The collection is thematically organized into eight sections: 1) The Campaign for Chicago; 2) Levi, Scholarship and Education; 3) Art and Architecture on the Midway; 4) Law, Politics and Human Behavior; 5) Business, Economics, History, and Moral Thought; 6) Natural Sciences; 7) Medicine; and 8) Sports. Unorganized newspapers in the Goodman papers are also appended at the end of this subseries.

Subseries 2, Board of Trustees, contains Goodman’s papers related to his administrative roles on various committees at the University. This includes a few typescript reports on housing in the Hyde Park area, reports on the University’s finances, correspondence and photographs related to various Board of Trustees conferences and dinners, brochures, and administrative papers thematically organized into the Committee on Campus Planning, the Committee on Memorials and Portraits, and the Baptist Theological Union.

Subseries 3, Lay-Clergy Discussion Group, contains two documents: a speech given by Charles W. Gilkey, Dean of the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel of the University, titled “Our Christian Affirmations: What Difference Do They Make?” and dated July 27, 1943, as well as a list of members of the Lay-Clergy Discussion Group dated March 22, 1946.

Series II, YMCA, contains ephemera such as “The Gentleman Scholar: Some Facts about Him” dating as early as 1945, though many are undated. It also contains minutes, reports, maps, and other materials documenting Goodman’s activity on the Future Planning Committee of the Hyde Park YMCA, centering around 1963 and 1964. The final folder contains minutes and reports from the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago reflecting its structure and urban programs.

Related Resources

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Subject Headings

INVENTORY

Series I: University of Chicago

Subseries 1: Newspaper Collection

Box 1   Folder 1

Newspaper collection, Table of Contents and Sections 1-4, 1971-1974.

Box 1   Folder 2

Newspaper collection, Sections 5-6, 1972-1974.

Box 1   Folder 3

Newspaper collection, Section 7, 1971-1975.

Box 1   Folder 4

Newspaper collection, Section 8. Unorganized newspapers. 1900-1974.

Subseries 2: Board of Trustees

Box 1   Folder 5

Typescript, Survey of Midway Properties. Sep. 6th, 1949.

Box 1   Folder 6

Typescript, Proposed Amendment to the Chicago Zoning Ordinance, Oct. 1955.

Box 2   Folder 1

Typescript reports on student housing, 1965-1966.

Box 2   Folder 2

Typescript, Comparative Dormitory Construction Costs, Dec. 1965.

Box 2   Folder 3

Typescript, A Note on the University’s Academic Budget, Feb. 6th, 1965.

Box 2   Folder 4

Photographs and correspondence, Lakeside Conferences, 1956-1959.

Box 2   Folder 5

Brochures, 1967-1971.

Box 2   Folder 6

Papers, Baptist Theological Union, 1966.

Box 2   Folder 7

Papers, Committee on Campus Planning, 1958-1966.

Box 2   Folder 8

Papers, Committee on Campus Planning, 1967-1970.

Box 3   Folder 1

Papers, Trustee Dinners and Argonne National Laboratory, 1955-1967.

Box 3   Folder 2

Brochures, 1966-1968.

Box 3   Folder 3

Papers, Committee on Memorials and Portraits, 1967-1969.

Box 3   Folder 4

Papers, 1966-1968

Box 3   Folder 5

Papers, 1955-1971

Subseries 3: Lay-Clergy Discussion Group

Box 3   Folder 6

Papers, 1943-1946.

Series II: YMCA

Box 3   Folder 7

Ephemera, 1945-c. 1964

Box 3   Folder 8

Records, 68th Annual Meeting of Hyde Park YMCA, May 1st, 1963.

Box 3   Folder 9

Papers, Future Policy Committee of Hyde Park YMCA, 1961-1965.

Box 3   Folder 10

Papers, Future Policy Committee of Hyde Park YMCA, 1964.

Box 3   Folder 11

Papers, 1940-1972.