Maurice K. Goddard (September 13, 1912 – September 14, 1995) was the driving force behind the creation of 45 Pennsylvania state parks during his 24 years as a cabinet officer for six

governors A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West ...

. Goddard was born on September 13, 1912, in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

. His family moved around during his childhood so that he lived in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

and

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada before finally settling in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. Goddard received a B.S. in

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

from the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

in 1935. He held a teaching position in forestry at The Mont Alto School of Forestry in

Franklin County, Pennsylvania Franklin County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 155,932. Its county seat is Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Cha ...

, from 1935 to 1937. He left in 1938 to receive his master's degree in forestry from the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

. He served under the direct command of General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

and the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. Following his discharge from the army, Goddard returned to his career in forestry. He accepted a position as the director of forestry at The Mont Alto School of Forestry. From there he served the same position at the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

in University Park, Pennsylvania. At this time Goddard began to formulate plans for the future of the state parks in Pennsylvania. George M. Leader was elected governor of Pennsylvania in 1954 and sought Goddard's advice about who should lead the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters. After receiving Goddard's advice, Governor Leader instead appointed Goddard as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, a forerunner to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. As secretary, Goddard set out to improve the forest department by eliminating political appointees and increasing the number of college-educated employees. With his new group of employees, Goddard and the Department of Forests and Waters set a goal of establishing a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

within 25 miles (40 km) of every resident of Pennsylvania. He fell short of this goal, but under his leadership the number of state parks in Pennsylvania grew by 45, and there was an increase in size of over 130,000 acres (526 km²). Goddard went on to oversee the creation of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, a combination of several other state departments. Goddard retired in 1979 and remained active in the environmental movement, serving on the boards of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,

National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization in the United States, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (i ...

, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, and Pennsylvania Forestry Association. He died on September 14, 1995, at age 83, from injuries received in a fire at his home in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Though not well known, many friends and people who knew him well acknowledge it was likely suicide, as the fire was fueled by a petroleum reactant. Goddard was survived by his wife, Ethel, who was also injured in the fire. They had two sons: Kim and Mark.

Awards and honors

Special Achievement Award *1989 Pennsylvania Conservationist of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Wildlife Federation, the educational arm of what is today the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists. * Maurice K. Goddard State Park in

Mercer County, Pennsylvania Mercer County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 110,652. Its county seat is Mercer, Pennsylvania, Mercer, and ...

*The Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Resource Conservation at the

*The Susquehanna River Basin Commission awards the Maurice K. Goddard Award "for individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of water management" *The 1994 Alumni Career Award of the

Alumni Association *A historical marker honoring him was placed at the Rachel Carson State Office building which is the headquarters for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Protection in Harrisburg. The marked was unveiled in 2010.

References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goddard, Maurice K. 1912 births 1995 deaths American environmentalists Recipients of the Legion of Merit Politicians from Lowell, Massachusetts State cabinet secretaries of Pennsylvania People from Portland, Maine Deaths from fire in the United States 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians