Joseph Goode and Dale Hutchens

Recorded May 1, 2010 Archived May 1, 2010 41:36 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id: ATL000309

Description

Dale Hutchins (53) interviews his uncle Joe Goode (80) about Joe’s childhood, college, and military years. They discuss Joe’s parents and Dale’s mother, Joe’s sister Betty.

Subject Log / Time Code

Betty, Dale’s mom, was 15 months older than Joe and they were playmates and good friends
After graduating college in 1952, Joe joined the Special Forces in the Army. Joe went to Howard College in Birmingham which is now Samford University
Both Joe and Dale have fathers who are pastors
Joe took singing lessons
Joe and Betty loved to go to movies and musicals
Joe’s father, did not let them go to the movies or play baseball on Sundays, but they did anyway
Joe learned to drive at 15, when the newly elected governor of Alabama lowered the age. Soon after, he was in an accident on a bridge
Joe helped his dad work in a blacksmith shop
Joe was a gymnast and taught gymnastics.
In the Special Forces, Joe was on Courts and Boards and was there when a a man was sent to 5 years in prison for being a homosexual
Joe’s favorite car is is Buick Lucerne, his least favorite was his 1935 Chevrolet with no brakes
Jim Ash and John Wood encouraged him to give up law school and stay in sales, a decision Joe now regrets
Joe was a financial consultant for Bellmark Records when “Whoomp There It Is” was popular
Both Dale and Joe are members of Lamda Chi Alpha

Participants

  • Joseph Goode
  • Dale Hutchens

Venue / Recording Kit


Transcript

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00:05 My name is Dale Hutchins. I am 53 years old today is May 1st. 2010. A location is the WABE Studios and Atlanta, Georgia, and I'm here with my Uncle Joe gude.

00:23 My name is Joe good. I am 80 years old and today's date is May 1st. 2010 and I am in a radio station in Atlanta and my relationship today o is I am his uncle.

00:47 Alright, let's start with one. That's that's that's easy. I realized I don't have in my I don't have written down your parents birthdays. When were my grandparents born mother was born, February 8th.

01:02 1904 Dad was born December 29th 1889

01:10 Mother was Francis Lavinia Thompson

01:15 Dad was William Franklin good

01:19 Spell your mother's name both the first and middle Frances.

01:27 L a v i a n i a

01:33 That's one of those things that

01:36 That I didn't capture while mother was alive.

01:41 Okay. My mother has told me all my life that you and she were the closest Playmates that you each had as kids. Is that sort of your recollection of it? All right. She was only 15 months older than me and we were extremely close just like a couple of youngsters of the matter that we were boy and girl until she entered puberty and we still remain very close bet you my sister your mother didn't drive and so I took her to where she had to go. She want this for a friend since if she needed to go to the Birmingham Conservatory of Music for her voice lessons. Well, I took her there and she and I went to a lot of places together.

02:42 We are.

02:44 Continue to go to movies and musicals together. We was her escort, you know, if she's in her teen years and when we were in college, we were very close. She was one year ahead of me. But still we had our call one course together. We had physical biological science together. In fact that we were seated alphabetically was so we were seated next to one another.

03:21 So where did your your military service if you were in college together, then you must have done your military service after you started college after you finished or something somewhere in that chronology the week after I graduated from college. I got a notice from Uncle Sam told you I fear for my induction physical.

03:45 And then I went in that summer 51 July 8th, July 11th.

03:53 1952 your dad and I are in the same two.

04:08 Where did you go?

04:10 Went to Howard College in Birmingham which today is Samford University.

04:19 Was your major business?

04:21 Yes for the first two years you really didn't have to have a major and I put down to my major was religion. And yes, then I chose. This is not got to do a degree in Business Administration and economics.

04:43 Well, not your religion your first two years calling yourself a religion major. Your dad was a pastor or a pastor. I know what my answer to this would be. But when in that time did you decide you were more interested in business than being a pastor or otherwise involved in Christian service the folks off that I was the son they had three boys and they thought I was the one chosen to be a minister.

05:18 Their idea was not my idea. I never had any intentions of being becoming a preacher or pastor.

05:29 So when I am going into my junior year, I chose my major business administration than like I said, I got a degree in Business Administration and economics.

05:44 Back to your childhood you mentioned.

05:50 Taking mother to voice lessons, and I know you and she sang a lot of Duets together. Did you take voice lessons as well? I did in college, I had private instruction in college Winfield Crawford was my today they call him a voice coach. I believe back then he talked private voice.

06:13 You can consider a music Major know he heard me sing. You ask each member of the of the class class voice class class and he had each of us to sing a solo and after I done mine he said would you be interested in taking profit-loss? Listen, and I said, well, yeah, I would and so I did and I I think

06:46 He helped me a lot. I wish I had been able to start young like that it did. But anyway, I still think it's helped me a lot to be able to take voice lessons. Well, at least as long as I can remember.

07:02 You are far and away. In fact, I would say you're the only of your

07:09 10 brothers and sisters 10 of you total 9 brothers and sisters that I would have described as being athletic and you've always been athletic.

07:19 Is as long as I've known you.

07:22 Were any of your brother's more at all Ledic as well? Either of your mark?

07:31 He was quite an athlete very fast. He could have let Run Frank was a good baseball player in high school. But neither of them finished high school, but when he was in high school Frank was good baseball player.

07:49 It was catcher and could knock the cover off the ball.

07:53 Uncle Frank and Uncle Mark of the Ten of you or the two that I knew the least and is just mostly proximity. They you know, they didn't live close by and everybody else lived.

08:06 Well Force Mars the fart the next farthest away in Nashville. Everybody else was in Birmingham or Chilton County or something like that. Mark had to go into he was drafted when he was 18 years old and course he served in the second world war and so pretty much was gone all the time. And that's one reason why you probably never got to know him very well.

08:30 Anne Frank lived in Michigan most of his adult life

08:36 Go back to your childhood. What were some of the things that you and mother particularly enjoy doing? Well, like I said, we enjoyed going to move his we went to a lot of movies together and we went to musicals. And in fact, she participated in the musical's out at Birmingham-Southern Amphitheater. Usually they were they segment Sigmund Romberg type of musical operettas. She talked about your mother.

09:14 Really enjoying movies

09:18 Even at a time when?

09:24 Baptist Preachers Wives didn't go to movies. We were for a bad to go to move its but we still did by him but not by mother.

09:38 So did she sneak you in the movies or just look the other way or did she facilitated or just look the other way do things like I wasn't supposed to play baseball on Sunday, but the Sunday afternoon how usually did in the summertime.

10:00 Were there a lot of things that?

10:03 Paul forbade you from doing besides playing baseball on Sunday in the movies.

10:17 I think the only time he ever really.

10:22 I really didn't even the picture said he admonished me also was we brought a board game to their house one time and had dice in it.

10:33 And all that really upsetting. He said we don't have gambling dice in this house. And that's about all he said that playing cards. He wouldn't allow those either.

10:45 Why aren't you allowed to go to movies?

10:50 Dad felt that the

10:54 Movies were evil

11:00 They were sinful.

11:03 Anna

11:05 He'll try going to some of them today.

11:08 Mother said your mother went to see Gone With the Wind something like six or eight times. She may have mother you may not know this about my mother. She had little formal education but was a

11:21 Prolific reader she read War and Peace that kind of writing and she must have been a speed reader and didn't know it cuz she could she could read large novels and very very quickly electric grater.

11:49 So did you and mother ever get in trouble together?

11:53 Well, I don't recall she and I she was in the car when I got in trouble. I was 15 at that time when I came along at 15 years of age leg then Governor. I'm not sure if it was Chauncey Sparks or Gordon person. I'm not sure which one but on his platform with one of the planks of his platform was that he's going to lower the age to receive to get a driver's license in Alabama to 15, but I came along at that time. So I got my driver's license at 15 and I borrowed that would have been your uncle Gilbert's Hudson. Terraplane. I had to sit on a pillow and I've been driving since I was 11 years old and dad says that when I got back to the officer The Examiner says, huh, this borking can drive a car.

12:53 So

12:59 I guess I was showing off it was on a Church Road down in Shelby County Clear Springs Community. And did you ever know the lens because I know you are genuine surely you have those two are married to two of Daddy's brother. That is correct. But beyond that I've met some of their other family members, but I don't know them. Well, I was turning off the Church Road onto their Drive. There's a little wooden bridge across a ditch and I turned a little too high speed and the front wheel run off the bridge and so I had to be pulled out a course back. Then you got a mule and hooked it onto it and you pulled the car out with the 8th of the mule.

13:57 And Betty and some of the lands were in the car with me.

14:04 Well, that's the trouble that that I got into and but she was she was there.

14:14 They wouldn't dare know. I don't recall being punished for it. I received enough, but I don't recall being punished for that.

14:27 You helped your dad in the blacksmith shop a lot. Didn't you longer either of his sons? Did Mark help him in the shop Frank helped him in the shop, but I helped him longer. In fact, when I entered College, they said you can we can't help you financially.

14:50 But you can stay at the house with the understanding that you will continue to help Dad in the blacksmith shop, which I did every I'd come home on the weekends or stayed at home. But then on the weekends, I would help him catch up on his Tool Sharpening.

15:14 We ended up developing your upper body that way didn't you?

15:18 I would say that it was helped a lot to have give me a upper body development muscle muscular development.

15:32 Later, when I was in college will I was a performer a gymnast and then I even talked trampoline in gymnastics tumbling.

15:44 Now by the time I came along when Paul had somebody helping him in the shop the helper wood sling the sledgehammer on the toe and Tall would set a smaller Hammer. So is that the work you were doing? I was operating the sledgehammer. He was calling that's all in but it's called he was calling you take the hand hammer and indicate where you were supposed to hit. So he was the caller in the blacksmith show you what happened to that hammer that he used. You know, who's got it.

16:25 Juanita your aunt wound up a lot with a lot of his tools. I think Gene has some of them. I think you have I have one of those anvils handles and it's up unusual that I did not wind up with anything.

16:50 I wouldn't want to deny your the Anvil know I use the Anvil I have used it right after I got it when he died within a few months after that.

17:04 I was at Samford and and I played in the van while I was at Sanford and we played Gustav Holst piece called the blacksmith and end up cushion section. There's actually an anvil part and you let them borrow your in hand. So whenever bands and orchestras do that, there's always this little bit of discussion. What are we going to do to sound like an anvil? And so when I heard that discussion I said, I have a man Vault and I brought my auntie is that the one weighed 500 lb, but anyway, the time has only been a few times that that I've ever played.

17:57 That I had any trouble controlling my emotions, but

18:03 When I heard the Anvil head is a little hard to Gorman Falls.

18:12 Now, let's say you went in the service in 52. What branch of the service were you in the Army? I will send Special Forces later on when John Kennedy became president. He was just fascinated with that type of warfare and he authorized the Green Beret for the Special Forces troops to wear. That was after I am a charter member of Special Forces. It was formed in 1952 the year that I volunteered for special forces. And that was only part of the army that I was ever in. I went through jump school after basic training than I was in

18:59 Stationed at Fort Bragg in the original 10th Special Forces and then when it was sent to buy the bod talks Germany. I was part of the nucleus that formed the 77th Special Forces Group, which today is called the 7th Special Forces Group. I was in charge of our courts and Boards section. What does that mean? That meant that I would have to read the articles of the court-martial Articles of war the high would appoint the Summary Court, I would either I would go to the special court-martial and make notes or I would send someone to to the special court-martial. We only had special court-martial jurisdiction. We did not have

20:00 General court-martial jurisdiction that we did have a full Colonel. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. He was a major. He was a West Point major tried in a general court-martial in in Sims 2 Leavenworth for 5 years homosexual it was

20:25 No, no, no.

20:29 So what was the best car you ever owned? I would say the one I have now best car of ever owned. It's a 2009 Buick Lucerne.

20:41 They're nice car when you drove up in the parking lot. I noticed that I didn't know. It was a late model General Motors and I saw the three holes in the side of it and I knew it was a Buick Lucerne. You see where people have pasted them on to certain cars, but they're built into this car.

21:04 So what was the worst when you ever owned?

21:09 When I was in college and never had any breaks back, then you didn't have hydraulic brakes on a not a General Motors car you had mechanical brake. They were impossible.

21:32 I've also heard it was you could hear it from a good distance away to

21:38 Was that same car your mother thoughts out of school? I can tell she should actually I heard it from two people. She was one of them but I heard it from two people. Well, they probably before 9 drove in on campus. They were probably ashamed of it when I daddy says you rarely did driving on campus that you had someplace to park it that you didn't try to get on campus, but that's not substantiated by mother. So, I don't know if that's true or not.

22:11 Well, I wasn't I didn't have any problem about driving it to school. I had a problem about taking it to two leads to the girl. I was going with that. I would I would hide it and then we'd go to Birmingham has in her dad's car.

22:28 Or your dad had by the time I came along your dad had some fairly had some work trucks that I guess you would say. They had a lot of character about them, Dad could take a brand new car in devastated in 2 years.

22:45 Dad was always a wreck looking for a place to happen.

22:53 He had a lot of he was involved in a lot of wrecks. And that's a well it wasn't brother goodes Falls. He was there but it wasn't his fault.

23:03 Daddy no, Daddy has told I don't remember we're going to beat that he's told and I think it's told from the pulpit that your dad had one of his serious Rex while we were living in Ashland. So I was less than 7

23:18 And mother called and said that your dad had been in a wreck. So the way daddy tells it he said they piled in the car and headed for Birmingham in a reason some hospital around Birmingham and is daddy tells it Daddy said he just went on and all you've got to stop at man from you got to take his driver's license. He is going to kill himself. He's going to kill somebody else the way daddy tells her he went on for probably half of the hour and a little bit more trip to Birmingham and daddy said when I finally stopped breathe mother said I bet it wasn't his fault and they got to the hospital and it wasn't

24:05 Do you recall when he fell in the pit? I was just fixing to ask you about that the oil pit service the the trucks at the contractors place. I was at where it was. Yeah, I think it was the FR horror contracting company. I believe that was the the company where he fell in the pit Well Servicing the trucks and I guess other vehicles all was in the bottom of that pit and he felt he was a result of just like I was a hog.

24:46 Did he lose Consciousness in it?

24:48 No, I don't think so. He did really terrible ankle when he fell in the pit.

24:57 Dad was he was just subject to doing things like that. I don't know why he fell into that pit. He was 86 when he died. So he may have been in excess of 81 this at all, you know Mother and Dad both died in 1986. To the day of June 28th, June 19th and October 19th, but during that for months between their deaths. I was down there a lot. I felt a lot of compassion and concern for him. So one time I he wanted to go to Selmer to check on his Social Security. Then you wanted to go to Montgomery to turn in his driver's license. Well, they said brother good you really need to keep your driver's license because you needed for dinner fication. And so they wouldn't take his driver's license though. I don't think you ever drove anymore after after that.

25:55 So

25:57 He didn't have any more car accidents.

26:05 But now the after he fell in the oil pit and messed up his ankle is was that the injury after which some months after he was after that when he was still recuperating that there's a picture of him preaching on crutches.

26:24 And somebody says somebody like Genie says now that's proof know somebody maybe one of my cousins said Paul will preach till I have to hold him up on sticks. And then when she saw that picture that that's that's what I always said he'd preach till they had to prop him up on sticks.

26:44 He loved to preach and he was a good preacher. He was a good pulpiteer.

26:53 There are you don't know anyone in your dad being a pastor, you know that they have they have to wear several hats and not every Pastor is good at Administration are as good as a pulp pulpiteer or as a pastor doing the Pastoral duties in resisting signal like that. That was pretty good at all of them.

27:22 You talk about things that Betty and I did when we were youngsters dad being a pastor in the Birmingham Baptist Association the Birmingham Barons would give him a season and we would like say we were only 15 months apart. She must have been around and we were living invite financial and she must have been around 6, so that would have made me four and a half or something like that and he would take us to the to the Birmingham Barons games and so my recollection of baseball is that baseball should be plays in the summer time in 85 degree weather in the afternoon. Not any of this. I have a friend that he and I have seats at the Vanderbilt games and so in the preseason they play in starting February and I called him and I said Jimmy

28:22 You weren't at the game. He said Joe. I don't come to baseball games that are played at night in 20 degree weather should be played in the afternoon in 85u00b0 weather but a fan of the Barons to your uncle Gilbert was an excellent baseball pitcher. He pitched for the for acipco and he could throw a knuckleball like you wouldn't believe that ball if it would dance and you could read the RC ever seen on the baseball and never turned over when he threw it but he he did pay for what would that be a baseball or death row baseball, but he did Pitch for the for soap Co

29:23 That him going to the bathroom. Well, I'm sure that leaving out that in that area. He he went to a lot of the Barons games. Are you familiar with the rickwood classic, you know the bear on the Barons play at Hoover, Alabama and now and but once a year, once the season they will play a game at the old rickwood Park which is a hundred years old this year and it's still an active baseball park. It was the home field of the UAB, but it's not now but I think some high schools use it as their their home field.

30:08 Who is it your biggest influence in life? I would say that it was Jim Ash and John would who were my superiors? I was in law school, and they said Joe you're making more money selling then lawyers who've been in practice for 10 years, and he talked me into.

30:35 Quitting law school and going full-time in the selling and consequently. I just say that they had the biggest influence but it wasn't for good. How should not have listened to them. I should have gone on finished law school. Yes. I was at the University of Alabama for a year-and-a-half. And yes, why do you think you should listen to them?

31:02 Why do you think that I should not have listened to that?

31:06 Why do you think I did?

31:08 Well when you got a when you got a family you've got a wife and a child and she's expecting another child and the GI bill is was not enough to live on much less pay your dues and fees in law school in the law books are very expensive you tend to listen to people at 2. Maybe you should not listen to but it was just it was just tough and I guess I took the course of least resistance and that's reason I listen to them and quit Law School.

31:46 And why do you now wish you had finished? Let's go.

31:52 I think I would have been successful as a lawyer.

32:00 And

32:01 I think I would have enjoyed the practice of law. Especially trial law you bet you would have.

32:13 So what were the most important lessons you learned in life?

32:18 Well

32:22 To prepare yourself

32:24 Stay focused work hard.

32:29 Treat everyone with respect treat them fairly.

32:35 Above all be truthful and honest

32:40 I think I've have Incorporated those into my life and they served me. Well, I think

32:51 I've had a very successful career.

32:57 Anna and I enjoyed

33:00 What are you proudest of that you've done?

33:05 My career I'm proud of the career that I had.

33:12 The industry accomplishments that I

33:18 Was able to enjoy work for Prudential for will you still work still under contract with Prudential 4/43 years?

33:28 In the industry

33:33 This is you.

33:35 No you in organizations you go through the chairs and I served as president of the National Association of Life Underwriters, and we had a 740 member Association at that time.

33:52 And so that's in jail at local Association.

34:02 And I'm proud of the designations that I earned like my clu designation my chfc which is chartered Financial Consultant my lutcf life underwriter training fellow cltc, which is certified long-term care specialist and course. I have a bachelor's degree, but the that's something up pretty much of what I am proud of him as far as

34:38 That part of my life.

34:43 I guess the interaction with people that doesn't surprise me though. I enjoyed very much working with people doing financial planning financial consulting. You may not know this Dale but I worked in Hollywood three years you have told me that I had forgotten that we could spend a whole nother one of these times talking about the famous people that you know, how is a Financial Consultant to Bel-Mark records in Hollywood. And at that time they said they had the number one selling single in 1993 Whitney. Whitney. Houston said that I'll always love you was the biggest seller 1993 but Bel-Mark records to their song was which I don't really consider the song but

35:40 The two young men from Georgia called the Tag Team Whoomp There It Is

35:51 You remember the NBA adopted it and if in Nashville, if you go to the to the Tennessee Titans football game Zell play excerpt solve it during during the game.

36:04 But yeah, I enjoyed working out there it was so I'd go out to three days a week every month during 93 and 94 95 and bankrupt one hit does not a company make nor does it a career make for an individual?

36:24 How would you like to be remembered?

36:32 Well, I'd like to be remembered as an honest caring friend to all.

36:38 Who was diligent in anything that I?

36:43 Did

36:47 Anything that I was involved in that I work hard at it was.

36:53 Was diligent was some.

36:57 If people were satisfied with the the job that I accomplished because the biggest critic I had was myself and if I please myself than everybody else I felt I would be pleased and

37:13 I'd like to be remembered for the work. I've done in the church in business and in family.

37:27 They say if you won't know anything about what I would have had different in my life. I would have thought I wouldn't have lost a marriage.

37:40 And I have lost my children and then I've lost my love.

37:50 She died a little over a year ago. She was amazing. Adrian was

37:58 Really great cars

38:02 Is there anything you do? You've never told me that you want to tell me now?

38:15 Well, I would like to compliment you on your love.

38:23 For family you you just of all of my nieces and nephews you just seem to be more family-oriented and it wont to

38:39 Be involved in the family and

38:43 And your friendship to me?

38:48 Are you very special? Thank you.

38:52 You are too well. I appreciate you taking this time with me.

38:58 I love you Uncle Joe. Is there anything of you to date over that you want to make sure you say?

39:06 Let's see. Yeah, I've always wanted to know about your Lambda Chi Alpha experience. You did live in the house. Didn't you I lived in the house you and Wayne both lived in the wind advisory. He live there after I finished. Okay. I don't I don't think we live there together, but I enjoyed it and I still keep up with some of my fraternity. Well face Buckeye keep up with my Stern Brothers on Facebook. I don't see any of that. There's none of them in my area. Well, it's not true my family doctors one of my fraternity Brothers, but he was two years ahead of me. So we weren't really active together. I don't think I have to ask cuz I believe that I know that you really enjoyed the fraternity experience. What offices did you hold you were I was just the house manager for one year.

40:01 I was so how did you hack Amazon at the secretary? Can't remember the highest office that I think about being in a fraternity all the time or Audrey you make friendships last a lifetime.

40:26 I still am involved in in my fraternity. We recently had a

40:33 Reception at Belle Meade Country Club in Nashville all of the fraternity and course they were there from all over.

40:44 I'm also involved very much involved in Samford University on the alumni Council of the University should have thought of that 30 minutes ago to ask about that. I was there.

40:58 This week at the at Samford dropped in and visited with some of the people that time.

41:06 You know it in administration that I'm close to their school.

41:13 Well, my time has expired. I appreciate you making this effort to come all the way from Nashville and spend this time with me. I love you. I love you too, and I'm I really enjoyed it. It's as a kid say it's been a hoot.