Austin Goodrich

Austin Goodrich passed away on June 9th, 2013, in his home in Port Washington, WI, reaching the age of 87 before Alzheimer's took its toll. Goodrich had moved to Wisconsin in 1990 and to Port Washington in the late 1990s after working in Europe, Asia and Washington D.C. as a case officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). A native of Battle Creek, MI, he volunteered in 1943 and served in the "Blackhawks" 86th Infantry Division until 1946, seeing duty in France and Germany as well as the Pacific. That close-up view of what happens in a world without democracy was to shape his life's mission. Goodrich joined the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency upon graduation from the University of Michigan (1949), and thus began a career in covert operations that took him to Norway, Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, Germany and Thailand over the following 25 years. His first assignment, to establish a cover for himself, sent him to the University of Oslo summer school where he met his future first wife, Eva Rosenberg Goodrich (1926 - 1998). As a freelance journalist, Goodrich reported and broadcast for CBS News, Radio Sweden and the International Herald Tribune sports desk a...[more]

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authored a number of books, both during his career and in retirement. His early works won critical acclaim -- Helsinki à la Carte, with the Western Foreign Press Club (1958) and Study in Sisu: Finland's Fight for Independence (1960) -- and the proceeds of their sales were donated to local charities. He was fluent in both Norwegian and Swedish and comfortable in German and Dutch, with some Finnish and French as well. His facility with language was a great aid in recruiting national communist party members to aid the U.S.. Upon retirement in 1976, Goodrich was awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit by President George H. W. Bush. On the accompanying certificate, the following praise appears: "Mr. Goodrich's multilingual abilities, extensive area of knowledge and operational finesse were evident in the increasingly responsible positions he held in Headquarters and overseas. A dedicated officer with an enviable record of recruitments, he met each challenge with a high degree of skill, initiative and sound judgment. Mr. Goodrich's overall career contributions to the mission of the Agency have been significant and reflect great credit on him and the Federal service." He went on to serve in a contract capacity for the CIA and moved to Wisconsin in 1990, where he returned to writing and married Mona A. Goodrich. His new works included: "Recollection of a Gravel-Clutcher" in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, 1997; Maria Bella, 1998; Milwaukee's Italians: The Early Years, 1999; Born to Spy, Recollections of a CIA Case Officer, 2004; Collateral Damage, The John List Story, with John List, 2004; Black Hawk Recollections, 86th Infantry Division Remember, 2008; Hot War, Cold War & Beyond, Tales from the Trenches of the 20th Century, 2011. He prized his fellowship with veterans, the VFW, and members of his Blackhawks division in particular, becoming very involved with the Blackhawks alumni group in his last 15 years. He wrote and published its newsletter and worked to fund and establish a memorial statue to the division at its base in San Luis Obispo, CA. During his service, in which he rose to sergeant, he earned a Bronze Star; an American Theater Service Medal; an Asiatic Pacific Theater Service Medal; a European African Middle Eastern Theater Service Medal; and a Good Conduct Medal. Goodrich is survived by his loving wife Mona A. Goodrich, along with his five children: Sammy Goodrich, Port Washington; Timothy L. "Timo" Goodrich, Chicago; Austin J. Goodrich, San Jose, CA; Kristina "Tina" Goodrich, Potomac Falls, VA; and Britt V. Weaver, Vienna, Va. He was blessed with seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, all of whom also survive him. Three sisters also survive him: Ethel Ackerson, Grand Rapids, MI; Eleanor Guilbert, Fox Point, WI; and Helen Putnam, Washington, D.C. and Arlington, VA. He was predeceased by his ex-wife Eva Rosenberg Goodrich (1926 - 1998). A memorial service will be held in the northeast corner of Upper Lake Park in Port Washington, WI, on Friday, August 2, 2013, at 5:30PM with a time of gathering from 5-5:30. Goodrich will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery (date to be determined). In place of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations to one of the following: --The Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org: click "Make a Donation" button in righthand column; or call 1 800 272 3900 and they will take the information; or --The University of Michigan, https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/give/page To see interviews with Goodrich on his life in the defense of democratic freedoms, please visit the YouTube Channel "Design's Voice" and view "Born to Spy (Part 1) The Formative Years" and "Born to Spy (Part 2) Signal Insights from a Cold War Soldier."