BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

MADISON, Wis. — Bob and Irwin Goodman were brothers, gentlemen, businessmen and philanthropists whose legacy will likely outlive us all.

If you've put down roots in the Madison area for any reasonable length of time, chances are you benefitted from their massive, yet quiet, selflessness.

They lived frugally, invested wisely and steered their fortune — by way of the private non-profit Goodman Community Foundation — toward people, projects and causes they loved. Bob and Irwin were about libraries, education, physical and mental wellness, nutrition and racial harmony.

John Hayes, who began working for the Goodmans as a salesman at their jewelry store on State Street in the early 1980s, explained the essence of their affection.

"They were in love with this city," Hayes said. "Neither one married, but they had a love for the city like you'd love your spouse."

 

The love the brothers had for the Madison area was intense and genuine, in part because they had no heirs. E.G. Schramka, a local attorney who serves as the executive director of the foundation, said $70 million has been dispensed over the lifetime of the organization. He said the range of their grants was from $1,000 to $10 million.

"It's immeasurable the number of people that have been impacted by their giving and the foundation's giving," Schramka said.

Hayes said the Goodman brothers were definitely not headline-seekers.

"They did it not for notoriety or publicity," Hayes said. "They did it because they saw something that needed to be done and took care of it. They figured out a way to make it happen

"They didn't forget anybody. It didn't matter what your position in society was. Everybody was equal."

Irwin died in 2009. Bob passed away in 2010.

"Two of the kindest, most understated gentlemen you could meet," Hayes said.

Bob and Irwin were born in Minneapolis, but they moved to Madison after Irwin, a discus-throwing track athlete at Minnesota, came here for a Big Ten Conference meet against Wisconsin and was mesmerized by the beautiful campus. Irwin moved here, eventually took over the family-owned jewelry store and Bob followed. In his spare time, Bob became known as one of the best softball players in the city.

The Goodman brothers became fans of UW Athletics. They were regulars at the Field House for boxing matches. Because of donations they made to the athletic department, they watched Badgers football games from the press box at Camp Randall Stadium.

UW has one of the best on-campus softball facilities because of Bob and Irwin. They donated $500,000 to help pay for the $1.2 million stadium that's known, of course, as Goodman Diamond. The brothers also put $1.8 million toward the $2.3 million indoor practice facility and sponsor a softball scholarship.

That generosity helps explain why Bob and Irwin Goodman are being inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

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High Five

One: Schramka said the Goodman brothers had a daily routine that began with them leaving their third-floor apartment on Wilson Street and making the three-block walk to their store, which opened at 10 a.m. They always wore suits, ties, hats and overcoats.

"Very unassuming, humble individuals," Schramka said. "Their personalities accommodated one another."

How so?

"Bob was definitely the front man," Hayes said. "Irwin was much more behind the scenes. It was a perfect team between the two of them."

Two: According to Schramka, the Goodman brothers were greatly influenced by their mother, Belle.

"She was very involved in the Jewish community in Madison," Schramka said. "They saw how she dealt with philanthropy and those less fortunate. They followed in her footsteps."

Three: Bob and Irwin were strict vegetarians who loved mangos and ice cream. They lived out of two modest apartments — one was an office — and loved to sit on the balcony of their residence and take in the views of Lake Monona. They didn't invest in new furniture or change the décor. They had a big-screen TV and loved to watch sports.

Were they eccentric?

"They were unique," Schramka said. "Unique in a good way."

Four: Schramka said his favorite memory of the Goodman brothers involves sports. Bob and Irwin were in their late 80s — not venturing out much — when Schramka paid them a visit. At one point, Bob grabbed an aluminum baseball bat.

"I'm going to show you how I used to swing this bat," Bob declared.

The first swing took out a lamp. The second resulted in a hole in the wall.

"E.G., please take that bat home with you," Irwin said.

Five: Irwin had a favorite saying.

"The best exercise for the heart is to lift a child," he often said.