John Goodier '59 remembers the clouds that rolled in from the west during his 1930's childhood in eastern Colorado. It was before the great Dust Bowl, a time when the land was rich with soil. He recalls his grandfather's cattle lumbering to the creek bottom and his mother's chickens skittering to the chicken house as darkness descended. By the time the Dust Bowl ended, his grandfather owned only a fraction of his original land.

After serving four years in the Air Force, and as a Korean War veteran, John entered Colorado A&M in 1955. Everything changed for John during his freshman year at Colorado State University. "I fell in love with geology," says John. He was thrilled to learn about the Earth's history and composition. For the first time, he could picture a life with the freedom cattle ranching could not afford.

The following year, he met and married the other love of his life, occupational therapy student Dolores Price '58. A few years later, John landed a job with the State of Wyoming and they moved to Cheyenne. John helped ranchers drill wells for sprinkler systems, and later worked in the minerals division. In addition to serving as the state's fuel allocation officer during the 1970's OPEC oil embargo, John represented the State of Wyoming on several committees and organizations during his career.  Throughout John's tenure with the State of Wyoming, Dolores taught science to junior high and high school students. Her interest in agriculture and the earth's resources stems from her grandparent's owning two farms near Johnstown, Colorado.

The Goodiers enjoyed their freedom traveling to almost every U.S. state, Central America, and Mexico where they watched whales splash in the Sea of Cortez.

Just one aspect of their Depression-era childhoods stuck with them. "We still live in the ranch home we built in 1963," Dolores says. Sharing a laugh John adds, "We keep a car until it falls apart," describing a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer with 99,000 miles.

Today, their discipline has positioned them to make a generous gift supporting the Michael Smith building in the Warner College of Natural Resources. They like the program's focus on groundwater geology, which John sees as essential to future farming and ranching.

Both John and Dolores are life members of the CSU Alumni Association, and John served for six years on the Alumni Board.

"We didn't have children," Dolores says. "The Warner College of Natural Resources is like our family. Our hope is that this gift will go on for generations of students to come."

Support What Is Important to You

Like the Goodiers, you can make a current or deferred gift supporting the future of CSU. For more information, contact the Office of Gift Planning at (970) 491-3414, or giftplanning@colostate.edu to learn more about your giving options.