A Giant advocate

John Goodrich doesn’t remember the year it started.
But Jeff Short does.
“That was 30 years ago,” said Short, now an attorney in Indianapolis.
Short was a senior at Winchester Community High School and wasn’t sure where he might go to college.
“I hadn’t even looked at Wabash,” he said. “But somehow John got my name. He reached out to me.”
Goodrich, Wabash College class of ’67 or ’68, found his calling when the two of them met.
“I can’t remember exactly the year, but I remember the young man,” said Goodrich. “Jeff came out to the house, and we talked.”
As they talked, Goodrich found himself spelling out — perhaps for the first time — his thoughts about what makes his alma mater the right fit for young men with just the right combination of character and promise.
“I had some things to say about Wabash that seemed to resonate,” recalled Goodrich. “Jeff was the first, and he exhibited many of the attributes that make for a good fit.”
And that process — identifying a potential Wabash student, selling that student on the college and steering the student toward the sources of financial assistance — has been something of a mission for the Portland businessman for the past 30 years.
At this point, Goodrich can’t even count all the students he’s helped guide to the all-male campus in Crawfordsville.
“He’s referred dozens of students to us,” said Wabash director of admissions Mike Thorp. “John has been a tireless supporter of Wabash.”
Most of those students have been from Jay County High School, but they’ve ranged from Auburn in the north to Fort Recovery in the east to Delaware County in the west and Randolph County in the south.
A partial list includes some of Jay County’s best and brightest: Brad Cain, Caleb Hemmelgarn, Alex Loucks, David Johnston, Kyle Weaver, Andrew Wells, Josh Eal, John Fields, Tyler Bash, Jared Valentine, Luke Prifogle, Willy Derrickson, Kyle Prifogle, Kurtis Hess, Austin Flynn, Darin DeRome, Cody Grady, Andy Reitz and Shawn Morris, just to name a few.
Among their ranks one will find businessmen, attorneys, editors and healthcare professionals.
“I can’t help but feel some satisfaction,” said Goodrich during an interview in his office at J&P Custom Plating.
The recruitment process starts early. “I tumbled on Kurtis Hess as a sixth grader.”
“The guidance department and I have a really good working relationship,” said Goodrich.
Vickie Reitz, director of guidance at Jay County High School, agrees.
“He’s great at recruitment,” she said. “You’ve got to be the right kid. In the end, Wabash is going to be making the final decision. But he’s choosing wisely.”
Each year, Goodrich asks counselors for the names of the top 10 male students in the sophomore class. And then he goes to work, making contact, meeting with parents and arranging for campus visits.
“So many of these kids are the first college-bound in their family,” he said. “There’s an affinity that some of these kids feel when they walk on campus. They don’t want to go anywhere else.”
And as he talks with the students he makes one thing clear: “You shouldn’t go there unless you’re prepared to commit.”
Goodrich’s own experience at Wabash underscores the importance of that commitment. He struggled at first and graduated in five years instead of four.
“I became a pretty good student,” he recalled. “I wasn’t killing them. But I was pretty good. … My last three years turned my life around. … If it can do that for me, think about what it could do for someone who’s gifted. … I try to share that vision.”
“John’s very adept at finding diamonds in the rough,” said Short. “Wabash pushed me. It opened my eyes to ways of learning and things I’d never thought of.”
A Wabash education, however, doesn’t come cheaply. Without some assistance, it can be daunting from a financial standpoint.
“I do not help them financially,” Goodrich stressed. “I do help them get to the places they need to go to get assistance.”
And — to the man — the students he has steered to Wabash are grateful for his guidance.
In 2013, when Goodrich Ballpark was dedicated at Wabash, more than 30 of John’s “kids” showed up to honor him.
“Wabash taught me to be an independent thinker and drastically improved my ability to effectively express my thoughts through both spoken and written word,” said Lt. Cdr. Shawn Morris, now a hospital administrator aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt. “These were all things John had assured me Wabash would provide.”
Jeff Short — that first recruit 30 years ago — put it this way: “John was a big part of why I ended up at Wabash. I owe him for that.”