10 Minutes With Tipton: Professor Emeritus Richard Goode
10 Minutes with Tipton originated in January 2022 on the Education Page. Students in Tipton Elementary School’s Newspaper class had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Richard Goode, a Professor Emeritus of Earth Science at Porterville College, who will be speaking at a CHAP event on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in the Porterville College Theater.
The Porterville College Cultural and Historical Awareness Program (CHAP) was organized in 2002 to enhance students’ awareness of certain important aspects of our society to which they may have previously had little or no exposure. A theme is chosen by CHAP members each school year, and faculty members across the campus are encouraged to integrate elements of that theme into their coursework. Additionally, various field trips, guest speakers, panel discussions and videos are presented throughout the year and are all open to the public. By subtly saturating students with information about the chosen topic throughout the year, the awareness of the entire campus community is elevated.
What is your job title/ role in our community?
“Richard Goode. I am a retired professor emeritus and I taught Earth and Physical Science at Porterville College.”
Please tell us a little bit about yourself — Your background, where you grew up, and your family.
“My family has been in the Porterville area since 1880. My greatgrandfather settled here. I was born in Lindsay and raised in Porterville. I left Porterville when I joined the Navy and of all of these wonderful places all over the world where I wanted to be stationed, you know where they sent me? Lemoore Naval Air Station! It’s about 50 miles away from here! Then, I came back to Porterville. I attended Belleview Elementary School, Bartlett Middle School, Porterville High School and Porterville College.”
Please tell us about your career.
“I’ve taught everything from kindergarten to adulthood. I taught two years of junior high math, 10 years of physics at Porterville High School, and then 20 years at Porterville College teaching geology, earth science and physical science.”
Can you provide us with a job history?
“I started mowing lawns when I was about 12. At 14, I was working in the fields picking lemons and pomegranates, then I worked in a restaurant as a dishwasher, busboy, and later a cook. In the Navy, I trained pilots on flight simulators at Lemoore Naval Air Station. Then, I worked for a company called TRW where I fixed computers and automated teller machines in banks. I drove all over the state of California. Then, at 28, I went back to college at Porterville College, then I attended California State University, Bakersfield where I earned a teaching credential and started teaching. I earned my master’s through Mississippi State University.”
You are scheduled to speak at a Porterville College CHAP event on Thursday. Your topic is “The Moon Landing” and the theme of CHAP this year is “The Anthropocene.” Can you tell us more about that?
“Allow me to give you a little bit of background about CHAP. After 9/11, we realized at Porterville College that our students didn’t know a lot about the outside world, outside of Porterville, so we started the Cultural Historical Awareness Program. Every year we have a theme. We did a theme about decades and when we discussed the 1960s, I talked about the race to the moon. This year the subject is ‘The Anthropocene,’ which is one of the eras and epochs of the Earth. Currently, we are in the Holocene. Scientists believe that we have changed Earth so much that we should have a new epoch called ‘The Anthropocene: The Age of Man.’ The technology of the space race has brought the Anthropocene about. In this room right now we could find things that would be a direct result of a race to the Moon. For example, scratch resistance glass - NASA needed them for the astronauts. Cushion soles of tennis shoes were created to be part of Moon boots, smartwatch sensors that monitors astronauts’ heart rates, cell phones have almost 10,000 times the computing ability of the entire NASA program that sent the Apollo 11 to the Moon, certain cameras were developed for NASA to take pictures on the Moon. Bluetooth technology that sends sounds to hearing aids for people to hear was developed for NASA. The Super Soaker was created by a NASA engineer who was working on another project. NASA doesn’t keep it, it asks companies can you develop this for us the companies keep the technology and make money and we all benefit. The list goes on and on as to what NASA has done. The technology NASA has developed is what the Anthropocene is all about. The technology that took us to the moon has brought us to a new age on the Earth.”
What did you love about your career? What did you dislike about your career?
“I hate grading tests! Grading. That really is one of the worst things about it. Another thing is meetings — teacher meetings. I would rather be in a room full of sixth graders that have just eaten a ton and a half of chocolate than be in a teacher meeting.
What do I like best? I like students! I’d rather be around you than most adults! Simply because you’re inquisitive and fun! I love seeing that lightbulb go on. Working as a college professor has allowed me to do a lot of cool things. I went to Africa and later Idaho for a total eclipse. I got to go fossil hunting in Southern France. The college sees these trips as a part of my job.
I have actually flown on the Microgravity aircraft that NASA uses to train astronauts, so they know what it feels like to walk on the moon. I have been in a weight
less plane that goes way up and drops down so it feels like you’re weightless. They called it the ‘vomit comet.’ I have experienced zero G, Lunar gravity and Martian gravity. I can do one-arm pushups on Mars. Those are the things I got to do because I was a college professor!”
Can you tell us what you did every day in your career?
“I wrote lesson plans, taught classes, and met with students who needed help. Sometimes I got to go out into the field with other geologists and hit rocks with hammers and collect samples. I taught three classes a semester at the college and half of my time was teaching and working with students and the other half was spent in meetings and I don’t like meetings.”
Would you encourage others to pursue your career?
“Absolutely! Sometimes you really don’t like school, but I love school, so I love teaching, but I am always learning too. I thought that if I ever won the lottery I’d go to college for the rest of my life. I would take every class, and get every degree because I love learning!
So teaching is one of those types of things where you get to work with great people and I’m not talking about other teachers and administrators, I’m talking about kids. You get to work with kids and I’m always amazed by how smart kids are and how much they can accomplish being a teacher helps me be involved with people. I wanted to come out here today instead of meeting on Zoom because I love seeing students face-toface.”
What is something that might surprise members of the public (either about you or your career)?
“I actually watched Apollo 11 launch in person. I was three miles away. It was the neatest experience. That is the mission that put men on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon to gather samples and they brought them back to Earth.
I was there when the humongous rocket launched. You can see the blast and then the land starts to quake. You can hear the roar from three miles away land it’s like your ear is right next to a freight train! You feel the wind of the explosive gases going right past you!”
What advice do you have for young people who might be pursuing your line of work?
“Don’t listen to people who tell you you can’t do it. You can do anything you can put your mind to if you work hard at it. Going to college is not impossible - anyone can go to college. You can start at Porterville College and once you get a college education, doors open up for you and that opens up the opportunity for travel.
The second thing I would say is to travel. See the world. get to know people who aren’t like you that’s so important. Get together with people and eat the local foods. It’s hard to be angry when you’re eating really cool stuff! Food is one way to understand the culture. Travel and keep at your education.
Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not going to go to college, that you’re not going to graduate from high school, or not be a lawyer because it’s all up to you, and how much drive you have!
I wanted to be an astronaut as a kid and that was when we were putting men first into space. I watched every launch on television as a kid. I learned how to count from 10 to one before I learned how to count from one to 10!”
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“I see myself on a tropical island someplace. Splitting my time between scuba diving and a hammock. In 10 years, I want to be doing that someplace exotic and warm.”
Anything else you would like to add? (Maybe a current, or past project you’re proud of?)
“A colleague and I worked on a project where we built a game for the iphone where you could do a field trip down the Grand Canyon. You would use your phone and find the next point and answer questions.
My friends and I also have a chapter published in “America’s Largest Classroom, What We Learn From Our National Parks”.