John Goodnow:
CLASS OF 1963
American School of ParisClass of 1963
Paris,
John's Story
John E Goodnow, ASP 1963
Bio posted on Classmates.com
Please contact me for information about the ASP homecoming in June 2018,
Upon reaching the age of 70 years, I am surprised that I can still remember some events from 50+ years ago at ASP. Even thought my motto in those years was, "Good grades are soon forgotten. Good times are long remembered." Assuming that you, the readers of this short bio, are similarly afflicted I am providing these reminders of what I did at ASP in an attempt to revive your memories during my time at ASP, from September 1960 to June 1963.
Overall, I was not the best student, particularly in English and French. I was able to hold my own in science and history courses and did well in algebra and geometry but was lost in Mr. Baugh's trigonometry course, which I barely passed. I was most active in sports, playing basketball all three years and joined the judo club that M. Pezenas started. The student body elected me vice-president of the student council senior year, my only foray into elected office. I also played the part of an arsonist ex-wrestler in the school play, The Fire Raisers. Perhaps what I may be best remembered for is that I ran the fund raising candy sales. (I do not remember what the money was used for; you would have to ask Terri Omori Holden, our class treasurer. She may remember. Was it for the prom?)
My most satisfying experience was planning and organizing the annual orphan Christmas party in December 1962. Deportment wise, I was always pushing the boundaries and was fortunate that Mr. Chapman called me to his office only once. My last contribution to ASP was that the faculty picked me to be the senior speaker. I was surprised by their choice and always thought that Becky Powelson would have been a better speaker. The most notable parts of my speech were that it was short and forgettable.
Within three weeks of graduating from ASP I entered the US Military Academy at West Point. The most difficult part of my studies there was making it through the first semester math course during plebe year. (Mr. Baugh expected me to flunk out due to my abysmal math grades during senior year.) Once I squeaked by that course I was able to hold my own and managed to graduate in the top half of my class in 1967. Upon graduation, I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the field artillery. After completing the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, OK and the Ranger Course at Fort Benning, GA, I reported to my first unit at Fort Carson, CO. In February '68 I married Ann Hayes of Leavenworth, KS with whom we raised two daughters, Jeannie and Julie. They are both happily married and raising families in Dallas and Denver, respectfully.
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ing my Army career I served in Colorado, Vietnam, Washington State, Oklahoma, Texas, Michigan, France, Virginia, New York, Korea, Kansas and the Pentagon. I retired from the Army in February 1993 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. I started my civilian career working for Rockhurst College Continuing Education Center in Kansas City as a training and development consultant to corporations. After five years in the job I was doing well financially but got little satisfaction from the work. Serendipitously, an old Army friend of mine told that the company he worked for had won a Department of State contract to train African nation army units for UN peacekeeping missions and they needed fluent French speakers who had my military expertise.
If you remember Mlle. Calvet's frustration with my butchering of the French language you must be asking yourself, ... John, fluent in French? You must be kidding! Well, I did achieve fluency in French and it started with Mlle. Calvet's French 101 at ASP. At West Point I took four semesters of advanced French using the Alliance Francaise textbooks that ASP used. Seeing the same material the second time around I was able to do very well. The only time I used my French in the first nine years of my Army was in Vietnam. I never envisioned that the Head of the Department of Foreign languages, who was my professor my last two semesters, would ask me to join the faculty. The Army sent me to France for two years, 1976 to 1978, to earn a Masters in French from Middlebury College. I managed to do it, and to this day it was the hardest thing I ever accomplished because I do not have a gift for languages. I taught French 101 & 102 from January 1979 to December to 1981.
From 1998 to 2012 I trained African peacekeepers, traveling from Kansas to 12 different African countries. I had great satisfaction in doing this work in because increase the ability of in these African army battalions to contribute to the restoration of peace in countries such as Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Burundi. Additionally, they have been able to reduce the level of violence in Democratic Republic of Congo and Darfur.
I am now retired living in Leavenworth, Kansas with my wife Ann. We enjoy traveling and visiting our daughters and five grandchildren.
On January 15, 2015, Bill Spence and I attended and ASP apero in Denver. There I learned that ASP is planning a homecoming June 15 to 17, 2018. This inspired me to try and contact as many of our class as I can find to encourage all to attend so that we are well represented. Claude Pelanne started a Facebook page for the American School Class 1963 to offer the chance to reconnect and plan on meeting at the 2018 homecoming.
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