Good Men

by Doug Moe

The Lives and Philanthropy of Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman

95 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Carol]

Doug Moe does a great job presenting the lives of Irwin and Bob Goodman, the brothers whose philanthropy did so much for our community here in Madison, Wisconsin. While I was already familiar with their good works - funded mostly through their very successful jewelry store - it was fascinating to learn more about what motivated them to give so generously.

Please note that I don't use the star rating system, so this review should not be viewed as a zero.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful coffee table book about two wonderful guys, Irwin and Bob Goodman, who loved people. Their generosity was staggering in scope; I had no idea. To me, they were the sort of goofy guys with the polyester suits on television commercials in the 70s. Remember Bob singing "diamonds are a girl's best friend"? I remember Bob sitting on a stool in the State St. store when Tom and I visited in 1983. Bob, of course, knew Tom's dad. In later years, I witnessed their unwavering devotion to each other as their health started to decline. They have been described as "communitarians"--rare individuals whose allegiance is to the greater good of the community. I believe everyone in Madison owes them a huge debt. We are SO lucky they left Minnesota and claimed Madison as their own. Highly recommended reading for anyone who has ever wondered about all the Goodman sites in Madison. I love these guys! I had a smile on my face throughout the whole book.