rick goodwin: to pratt id’s assistant chair & cpo of ogosport . . .

remembering the loss of our friend, colleague, mentor and teacher,
richard goodwin, pratt id’s assistant chair, & cpo, chief play officer,
of ogosport, pratt m.id 1997, | 1952-2010 | . . .

memorial for rick goodwin on saturday, april 17th 2010
from 3:00 until 5:00 pm, in pratt’s design gallery:

what are the right words for this wonderful person that shared his life so fully with all of us in the industrial design department at pratt institute? let me start with someone who i think summarized some of rick’s best attributes simply and clearly.

judith aaron, vice president for enrollment at pratt institute, said about rick:
“i will remember rick as a thoughtful and compassionate friend who was so incredibly brave throughout this ordeal. i am so glad i knew him. he was inspiring in the way he dealt with his illness. his commitment to his work was obvious through his illness. we are so grateful to him for all he did for us in admissions
and i am personally grateful to him for what he taught me about living.”

also some thoughts / feelings from cce. professor, rebecca welz:
“our colleagues diminishing in numbers, it is a sad time as we think of what we shared with them for so many years, the presence and place they held in our lives and the spaces left empty by their transitions. i will miss the light on lenny’s face and the hug and kiss he would deliver and I know I was not the lone recipient of that affection. i will miss his playfulness and his clear love of the students. i will miss rick’s hand in ordering what we do, smoothing things, and choosing our grad students that have been so fine. i commend him for trying to be with us even though he was not feeling well and with that perseverance came a softness, a kindness. it is true that nothing is permanent, that we come and do what we do as a parenthesis and maybe the sobering losses will make us more understanding of each other. because so many of the things we fret over are inconsequential. peace to you lenny and rick. we will miss you.” rebecca welz

also from cce. professor harvey bernstein about the loss of rick goodwin:
“the american author mark twain said we should sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in our sail and explore, dream and discover. in the last few days we have lost two wonderful people. they were a big part of the passion that made all our journeys safe, productive and exciting. they helped all they touched realize that these dreams can be ours.” harvey

also from pratt’s gateway from march 30, 2010:
in memoriam: richard goodwin, m.id. ’97, (1952-2010) assistant chair of industrial design, passed away february 10th. a professor at pratt institute since 1999, goodwin also served as the department’s coordinator of graduate admissions. he taught toy design, studio and thesis courses, and developed corporate partnerships with fisher-price and other companies, to give students valuable real-world experience. one of goodwin’s first companies designed puppets, props, and costumes for such productions as the muppets. in 2005, goodwin co-founded the award-winning toy company, ogosport, that makes active play products. goodwin is survived by his wife susanne vindekilde and his daughters emily and hannah goodwin.

on a professional level, as my right hand man, rick goodwin made me a better chair for the department of industrial design with his passion, his commitment to our programs / our students and his unwavering honesty. rick didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear, but what you needed to hear. together, for a period of five years, rick and i shared the responsibility for approximately, a community of 400 graduate / undergraduate students and teaching professionals of design at pratt. our even-keeled approach was welcomed by student and faculty alike. in another light and on a personal level, rick goodwin reminded me that life is not only very precious, but also rather fragile | memento mori | and that i should make the most of life’s shared moments with family and friends. to rick goodwin’s legacy of educating young design talent, a student award has been set up in his memory and checks can be made out to pratt institute and should have rick goodwin student award written in the memo line. these checks can be sent directly to the department: pratt institute, industrial design 200 willoughby avenue brooklyn, ny 11205. checks can also be brought to the id department, pratt studios, fourth floor. if you would like to reach out to rick’s family directly, susanne vindekilde / emily goodwin / hannah goodwin, cards can be sent to susanne vindekilde’s attention at: 298 waverly avenue, brooklyn new york 11205 . . .

rick would say ” now, go out and play!”

warmly+matthew

Matthew Burger
Chair
________________________________
The Industrial Design Department
Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY. 11205
718-636-3631