Barbara Goodson learned early in her professional career that service was her true calling.
“I’m just service oriented,” she said. “I really enjoy it.”
She’s provided that public service through a 40-year career in banking, working in a leadership role in the local chamber of commerce for two decades and serving as an alderwoman in Calhoun City.
Goodson was raised in the New Gauley Community the daughter of Norvin and Velma Pollan White. Her father operated a “ground hog sawmill.”
“I remember as a little girl playing in the dust,” Barbara said.
Growing up she dreamed of becoming a school teacher and attended Wood Junior College to begin pursuing that before she was forced to re-evaluate.
“My father died and I needed to go to work so that’s what I did,” Barbara said.
Her mother worked at Kellwood and that’s where Barbara landed her first job, hemming pants’ bottoms.
“That’s where I learned to work,” Barbara said. She noted punctuality was critical and a good work ethic was mandatory to survive.
“I worked there for 10 years and made a lot of friends there that I still cherish,” Barbara said.
Her career path would be defined in 1971 when she was hired by Calhoun County Bank. She would start out filing checks in the bookkeeping department, then work her way up to a teller position.
“It came really natural to me,” Barbara said. “I loved customer service, helping people with whatever they needed.”
She continued to move up the ladder in the bank and was named manager of the Derma branch where she worked for 15 years.
“I loved those years in Derma,” Barbara said. “We had a great staff, great customers and really felt like we were contributing a lot to the community.”
She returned to the bank in Calhoun City, Regions by this time, as manager where she worked her final five years before retiring.
Barbara admits that retirement was a major adjustment she’s still coping with.
“I thought my house would always be clean, the cooking done, and I would just put my earrings on and go read a book,” she said with a laugh. “That’s not how it works.”
She’s busier than ever in retirement still finding ways to continue her love of service such as her membership in the Calhoun City Rotary Club, her church and her role with the Chamber of Commerce.
An active member of the chamber, it was Dr. Jimmy Gage Dobbs, president at the time, who appointed Barbara to lead the beautification committee within the organization, a post she still holds today.
“I remember when he told me I was going to lead the Beautification Committee and I said, ‘What is that?’” Barbara said. “He wanted us to take more pride in the town and see what improvements we could make.”
Barbara would help organize a citywide cleanup day every May, revitalize flower beds around town, and organize fundraisers, such as a Christmas Tree auction, to raise needed money for other improvements.
“We’ve been able to do a lot of things over the years, but there’s lots more we still want to do,” she said. “We want to get some new trees on the square. We need new welcome signs and several other improvement projects.”
She was recently honored by the chamber with their quarterly award for a career of community service.
Goodson’s service continues on the town board as well where she is completing her second term as an alderwoman.
“It really interests me,” she said of her responsibilities on the board. “I’m learning all the time and finding new areas we can make a difference and improve this community.”
The community is everything to Barbara. She and husband Geraldine have lived in the same house for more than 50 years and he still cares for his cows on the farm he grew up on New Gauley.
“I just can’t imagine living anywhere else,” she said. “That never entered our minds.”
“I love people. I love this community and they’ve provided me with incredible support throughout my life that I appreciate so much.”