Ralph Goodman, Southern Miss Marine Science Professor, Dies at 80

BAY ST. LOUIS - Dr. Ralph Goodman, a research professor in the Department of Marine Science at The University of Southern Mississippi Stennis Space Center teaching site, died on Tuesday, March 10. He was 80.

The memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 15, at the Edmond Fahey Funeral Home, located at 110 S. Necaise Avenue in Bay Saint Louis.

Before graduating with his doctorate in physics from the University of Michigan in 1958, Goodman served as a U.S. Army paratrooper during World War II. Goodman served as associate director at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.; founding director of the Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity, now the Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center; and director of the National Physical Acoustics Center in Oxford.

The most recent position Goodman held was for the Southern Miss Department of Marine Science as a research professor. During that time he also served as a senior scientist for the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University.

"Ralph was a friend, colleague and mentor to many of us at the Department of Marine Science, and I am sure the same can be said for all the other groups with which he was associated," said Steven Lohrenz, chair and professor for the Department of Marine Science. "He always had a smile and a chuckle and shared his excitement and enthusiasm for his work and his life. He will be sorely missed."

Goodman is survived by his wife Charlotte; his sister, Marilyn Cloutier of Ormond Beach, Fla.; his sons, David and Matthew; his daughter, Christina; his stepsons, William and Bradley Farwell; and his grandsons, Daniel and Ben.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made to the American Cancer Society.