Who is Bill Goodson?
- Born William Houston Goodson, Jr., on June 12, 1936, in Huntsville, Alabama.
- Educated in the Huntsville City Schools and graduated valedictorian of his class from Huntsville High School in 1953.
- Received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University.
- Completed a psychiatric residency at McLean Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in 1964 and is board-certified in psychiatry.
- Served as Division Psychiatrist of the 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, N.C., from 1964-66, receiving the Combat Medical Badge for action in the Dominican Republic.
- Practiced psychiatry in Huntsville from 1966 until 2005, mostly in private practice but for nine years with the community mental health center. Received certification in addiction medicine and served on the state of Alabama’s Impaired Physician Committee.
- Married since 1956 to Elise, who has shared the rearing of three daughters and who taught in the public schools. The daughters and husbands and eight grandchildren all live in Alabama and Georgia.
- Now retired, he devotes his spare time to writing, family, church (Episcopal), bicycling, the homeless, advocating for a new state constitution, and regular retreats with friends to the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky.
- Board member, Alabama Writers' Forum, 1998-2000, and member, Alabama Writers' Conclave
Current News
Bill is now at work on a nonfiction book based on his experiences with the homeless in his hometown. With a working title of "Not Helpless - the Street Homeless and Their Helpers," he chronicles the stories of some of the street people he and others have encountered. Each story is followed by commentary regarding the particular issues/lessons that emerge from them. Another section of the book is devoted to the stories of the helpers, the volunteers like himself. With the success of recent books and movies about homeless people, this book should strike a chord with the public.
The author (right) with friends and Brother Luke on retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani
Click here for more photos.