Edwin L. Goff, 76, Ph.D., retired Director of the University Honor’s Programs, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University died quietly in his sleep, at home, on April 22nd. He is survived by his wife of fifty-three years, Florence (Withers) Goff, their sons, Gregory Ibata Goff (Dana Goldblatt, and grandchild, Lucia Nqobile Goff), and Phillip Atiba Goff (and his wife). Edwin was the son of Leo and Gertrude Goff of North Little Rock Arkansas, and the brother to Wilma Emberton of Oroville, CA all of whom preceded him in death. He was the proud uncle to nieces Janit Sherrill, Donna Weathers, Melissa Sadler, and Karen Emberton from California, and great uncle to Mark, Destiny, and Patty Sherrill, and Christopher, Tonya, and Leah Weathers.
Ed grew the honors program from a small operation to a national model for undergraduate achievement, stewarding dozens of students through successful applications to Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, and Goldwater scholarships. During Ed’s twenty year tenure as Director of the Honors Program—from 1995 until he retired in 2015—more Villanova students won these prestigious fellowships than in the 153 years prior. He was a founding member of the National Association of Fellowship Advisors (NAFA), whose “mission is to promote the full potential of fellowship candidates through the application process and to foster the continued growth and professionalization of fellowship advising in higher education.” He was a visionary and a mentor. During this explosion of academic excellence, U.S. university rankings also shifted from considering Villanova a regional university to a nationally ranked one.
Despite his institution-defining contributions, Ed counted his success in more than fellowships. A gifted teacher with the intellect of a scholar and the heart of a poet, he cared deeply about helping to prepare students, whether undergraduate, graduate, or Honors, to become fuller members of the world community. Anyone who met him knew how much he loved to “talk philosophy.” Whether it was Emanuel Kant, John Rawls, Martin Heidegger, Thomas hardy, Friedrich Nietzsche, Aristotle, Socrates, or social justice issues, he was in his element—ever passionate and enthusiastic, but always ready to hear an alternate perspective. He was a lifelong learner, a student of life, who understood how to meet people where he found them, and create spaces where all felt they could be heard. A ravenous reader, he loved science and nature, poetry and history, baseball and tennis, music and literature, and more than anything, he loved being PopPop to his precious Lucy.
Growing up in North Little Rock, Arkansas, Ed was the first in his family to attend a four-year college. He attended Vanderbilt University where he majored in Philosophy and learned to blend scholarship with activism. He was a Program Assistant with Upward Bound and a member of the local Students for a Democratic Society chapter in Nashville. After graduating, he received a doctoral degree in Philosophy from Boston College. Accepting a position with Villanova in 1970, he remained dedicated to its students and to the University until his retirement in 2015.
After retirement, Ed took his love for expanding opportunities for students into the community. For several years he served on the Advisory Council of the Friends of Laura Sims Skate House and Science Education Center at Cobbs Creek Park, Philadelphia, PA.
Some may remember him as the gentle man whose brilliant smile greeted them long before his voice embraced them. Others may remember his penchant for bad jokes that made his family groan, but forced a giggle nonetheless. He was as warm with strangers as with close friends, and believed deeply that being playful was a requirement for building community and intellectual growth. For those fortunate enough to know him well, that playfulness would invariably yield to learning to be still with him. He was a man who valued his own counsel and enjoyed the silence of the familiar and beautiful. He referred to himself as a “barefoot boy with cheek …”
Interment will be a private, family ceremony at Valley Forge Memorial Gardens. A memorial celebration of his life will take place on June 12th, from 11am to 12 noon, to be immediately followed with a reception until 2pm. Both events to take place at The Willows Park Preserve, 490 Darby-Paoli Rd., Villanova, Pa. 19085. Internment will be a private event at Valley Forge Memorial Gardens.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ValleyForgeMemorialGardens.com for the Goff family.
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