A Tribute to Lemuel Goode

Matt Claeys

Lem, a native of West Virginia, was a professor of Animal Science who retired after 37 years of service in 1986. He obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees from West Virginia University and his Ph.D. at the University of Florida.

Among his many contributions, Dr. Goode was responsible for developing the Polled Dorset breed of sheep in the 1950's. Currently, over 95% of the Dorset sheep in the United States are polled and trace back to the NCSU flock. Dr. Goode conducted research that addressed sheep production and management practices, effects of heat stress on reproduction of sheep and cattle, and forages has contributed greatly to the livestock production in North Carolina and the United States.

Dr. Goode was also twice recognized as one of the outstanding teachers at NCSU. He served as coach of the NCSU Livestock Judging Team, taught the sheep management courses and Introductory Animal Sciences. He was not only a teacher but a friend of all students.

I probably should not be the one submitting this article in the newsletter since I arrived at NCSU after Dr. Goode had retired from a very productive career at the university. However, I did have the good fortune to work with Dr. Goode at the State Fair and a couple of other activities along the way. Even during his retired years he remained a teacher. Maybe not a teacher of the technical information that we all seem to be so caught up in, but a teacher of life skills and relating to people. From my observations, Dr. Goode was good with any person. He could relate to a sever year old cloverbud exhibiting at a fair for their first time, livestock producers and scientists. Dr. Goode always seemed to have the innate ability to find the good in the people's lives that he touched.

The poem below is one that is special to me and one I think describes Dr. Goode perfectly. However, when reading the poem please consider the animals as metaphors for anyone Dr. Goode had ever met.

A Tribute to The Stockman

Behold The Stockman! Artist and Artisan.
He may be polished, or a diamond in the rough - but always a gem.
Whose devotion to his animals is second only to his love of God and family.
Whose gripping affection is tempered only by his inborn sense of the true proportion of things.
Who cheerfully braves personal discomfort to make sure his live stock suffer not.
To him there is rhythm in the clatter of the horse's hoof, music in the bleating of the sheep and in the lowing of the herd.
His approaching footsteps call forth the affectionate whinny of recognition.
His calm, well-modulated voice inspires confidence and wins affection.
His coming is greeted with demonstrations of pleasure, and his going with evident disappointment.
Who sees something more in cows than the drudgery of milking, more in swine than the grunt and squeal, more in the horse than the patient servant, and more in sheep than the golden hoof.
Herdsman, shepard, groom - yes, and more. Broadminded, big-hearted, whole-souled; whose life and character linger long after the cordial greeting is stilled and the hearty handshake is but a memory; whose silent influence forever lives. May his kind multiply and replenish the earth.

A special thanks is extended to Dr. Ray Harvey for providing the background information concerning Dr. Goode's career.

The above tribute was written in 1917 by H.W. Mumford and is reprinted with permission.