![]() Only two children appear in The Last Resort, my dad’s 1943 Salt River journal: Sweetpea and Sluggo. The affectionate nicknames Pud had for his first two nephews tell you everything. In March 2018, I memorialized Sluggo, aka Dave Fallis, the elder son of my dad’s sister Virginia Fallis, when he died after a long illness. Today, I honor Sweetpea, aka Robert Dudley “Sandy” Goodlett, the first son of my dad’s brother Billy Goodlett, who died unexpectedly Monday after a brief illness. When David Hoefer, the co-editor of The Last Resort, suggested that we annotate many of the personal and historical references in the journal to provide a more fulsome picture of Pud’s world, I knew we had some work to do. David researched most of the historical and technical details. I started digging up information about Pud’s family circumstances and his Lawrenceburg friends. The first person I called was Sandy. He was the Goodlett family historian, and he had sustained ties to Lawrenceburg longer than the rest of us. David and I met with Sandy in his office in the building I still think of as the old post office, and we peppered him with questions. He was able to answer most of them, and I think he reveled in being a critical informant for our project. Soon I realized I wanted to make a trip to the Atlanta area to talk to a couple of the “boys” who used to join my dad at his Salt River camp: my cousin John Allen Moore and Lawrenceburg native Bill “Rinky” Routt. Sandy said, “Let’s go.” We picked a date and Sandy drove me and our cousin Bob Goodlett to Atlanta and back. During that trip, we were also fortunate to spend some time with John Allen’s younger brother, Joe Moore, and with Lawrenceburg natives Eugene Waterfill and Mary Dowling Byrne. It was a magical trip. And Sandy made it happen. Today, of all my dad's family and friends we visited, only Joe Moore survives. Sandy was always unselfish with his time and his wisdom. If I planned a family gathering, I knew he’d be there. In his van, we discovered we could talk for eight straight hours and still learn something new. When Sandy died, I lost not only a beloved cousin and my go-to guy for all Goodlett family questions. I lost one more connection to the father I never really knew. I’ve laughed this week with some family about Sandy’s rare equanimity and quietude in times of crisis and distress. That is not a typical Goodlett trait. Most of us are hard-headed and opinionated and high-tempered. We are intense and hard driving. Sandy kept his intelligence and his passion quietly under wraps. And when he offered us a glimpse, it was usually accompanied by that inimitable grin. If we want to honor Sandy, we should all strive to approach life’s vicissitudes with his calmness and acceptance. We should strive to be as kind and caring as he was. And we should strive to love our family half as much as he did. Read Sandy's obituary.
11 Comments
4/29/2021 04:48:08 pm
What a lovely tribute to your cousin, Sandy. I went to school with his brother, Mac, but haven't seen him since we were seniors at Anderson High.
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David Hoefer
4/29/2021 06:06:41 pm
Oh, Sally, I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Sandy Goodlett. (He'll always be "Sweetpea" to me, because I first glimpsed him in the pages of your father's Salt River journal.) My memory matches yours: he was very helpful that day we met with him in his office. What's more, he also drove us around the Lawrenceburg area, pointing out landmarks that turn up in The Last Resort. As I recall, he was a good Kentucky bourbon-drinking man, but I have a beer at my elbow, so I'll raise a sudsy toast in his honor this very evening.
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Sallie Showalter
4/29/2021 06:15:52 pm
Cheers, David! He would love that.
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myra goodlett
4/29/2021 06:30:23 pm
Thanks Sallie, I was proud to have him as big brother, I am completely heartbroken.
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Barbara Cubert
4/30/2021 04:11:43 am
Myra,I am so very sorry .I loved running into Sandy .Our mothers were such good friends I cherish all the years we had together !!!
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Dudley Hanks
4/29/2021 07:02:59 pm
What a wonderful tribute.
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Mark
4/29/2021 09:11:25 pm
Thanks for sharing this Sallie. Sandy was so good to support Ben after Jack passed away. He will be missed!
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Tessa Hoggard
4/30/2021 12:54:41 am
Sandy's legacy is like a radiant star gleaming in the heavens, reflecting precious memories through those who knew him best. The life he lived beckons us to walk honorably and to love our fellowman while carving our path on life's journey. Thanks for sharing such a powerful tribute!
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Elizabeth Eklund
4/30/2021 01:07:10 pm
Thanks for this touching tribute,Sallie.
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Cathy Eads
4/30/2021 04:42:12 pm
Sallie - I’m so sorry for the loss that Sandy’s passing brings. Thanks to you, his spirit is memorialized in The Last Resort. And from these comments, it sounds like the calmness, kindness, caring, acceptance and love he shared live on in those who knew him.
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Rogers Barde
5/3/2021 08:40:43 am
What a beautiful tribute.
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