JOANNA ALLHANDS

When a good man retires

Joanna Allhands
opinion columnist
John Goodie waves his cowboy hat while riding a horse during the 2015 Mesa MLK Celebration parade.

Anyone who's spent any length of time in Mesa has probably crossed paths with John Goodie.

It's hard to miss him. He's a big man in a cowboy hat with a booming voice and a personality larger than Texas.

His impact on Mesa -- and Arizona -- has been indelible. Goodie was one of the key players in the fight to recognize the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. He helped get a street named after the civil-rights leader and has been a key cheerleader for the city's MLK celebration, even when it wasn't getting much traction.

I got a note Friday that Goodie is retiring -- or, at least, he's hanging up his park-ranger hat after 17-plus years. That's right -- the unmistakable ball of energy you saw at most city venues is finally trading in the 9-to-5. This after he gave up volunteering as a Mesa High football coach in 2014 after 20 years on the sidelines.

Knowing Goodie, it won't be a quiet exodus. He's got a huge party planned, and Mesa being what it is, I'm sure half the city will be there. There's good reason for that.

John Goodie

Despite looming larger than life over most everything, Goodie is probably one of the most humble and generous people I know. He's the kind of guy who can be big and small at the same time, who leads with such down-home sincerity that others can't help but follow.

It's not surprising that when he asked for bottles of water to help the homeless through 110-degree days at city parks, he got thousands. Or that when he wrote about high-school athletes who couldn't afford higher sports fees, people came out of the woodwork to sponsor players.

So, what do you do when a man like that retires? How do you properly honor him?

Well, knowing Goodie, he won't go gently into that good night. He'll still be volunteering, still be asking residents to help him make Mesa a better place. Something that ingrained doesn't just leave once you join the ranks of the retired.

The best thing I think any of us can do is honor his legacy of service -- and when he speaks up for a cause, do all we can to listen and help.