THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY LONGIETTI, BROOKS, VITALI, BARBIN, BEAR, CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, CONKLIN, DALEY, DiGIROLAMO, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, FLECK, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRELL, HARHAI, HARHART, HARPER, HENNESSEY, HESS, HORNAMAN, JAMES, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, KOTIK, MANN, MILLARD, MIRABITO, O'NEILL, PARKER, READSHAW, ROSS, SAINATO, SAMUELSON, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SCHMOTZER, SONNEY, STABACK, STEVENSON, SWANGER, TALLMAN, WATERS AND D. COSTA, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012  

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing the contributions of Dr. Maurice K. Goddard to the

Commonwealth in the 100-year anniversary of his birth.

WHEREAS, Dr. Maurice K. Goddard was born in Lowell,

Massachusetts, on September 13, 1912; and

WHEREAS, During his childhood, Dr. Goddard moved several

times, ultimately settling in Maine where he earned a bachelor's

degree in forestry from the University of Maine; and 

WHEREAS, After graduating from the University of Maine, Dr.

Goddard came to the Mt. Alto campus of the Pennsylvania State

University where he taught for several years; and 

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard earned a master's degree in forestry

from the University of California at Berkeley and later served

with distinction on the staff of General Eisenhower during World

War II; and 

WHEREAS, After his war service, Dr. Goddard returned to Penn

State University, where he led the Mt. Alto School of Forestry

and later moved to the main campus in State College where he

directed the School of Forest Resources; and 

WHEREAS, In 1955, Dr. Goddard began his storied career as a

public servant in this Commonwealth when Governor George Leader

appointed him as Secretary of the Department of Forests and

Waters; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard continued in this leadership position

until 1971, when Governor Milton Shapp then appointed him as

secretary of the newly created Department of Environmental

Resources; and 

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard's leadership extended well beyond the

borders of this Commonwealth, as he received many conservation

awards and was recognized as a national leader in conservation

policy; and 

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard was so well respected for his knowledge,

commitment and professionalism that both Democratic and

Republican governors appointed him to conservation leadership

positions over the next 24 years; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard worked to implement his vision for which

he is most remembered: the establishment of a State park within

25 miles of every Commonwealth resident; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard helped to secure dedicated funding for

natural resource conservation by facilitating the creation of

the Oil and Gas Lease Fund, which receives revenue from oil and

gas leases on State lands and uses these funds for conservation,

recreational development and land acquisition; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard was instrumental in securing funds for

State parks and open spaces by shepherding the passage of

Projects 70 and 500, in which almost $600 million was obtained

for the acquisition of property and recreational facilities; and 

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard led a monumental expansion of the State

park system by adding 45 State parks and 130,000 acres of State

park land during his tenure; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard's effort in the expansion of the State

park system helped him earn distinction as the "Father of

Pennsylvania State Parks"; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard was instrumental in establishing both

the Delaware and Susquehanna River Basin Commissions; and 

WHEREAS, Dr. Goddard's leadership for Pennsylvania's natural

resources extended into his retirement from public service, as

he continued to serve on the boards of various conservation

groups; and 

WHEREAS, In his retirement from public service, Dr. Goddard

continued to advocate on behalf of Pennsylvania's natural

resources by pushing for the creation of a separate agency for

parks and forests, which Governor Tom Ridge implemented in 1995

with the establishment of the Pennsylvania Department of

Conservation and Natural Resources; and 

WHEREAS, Throughout his life and until his death in 1995, Dr.

Maurice K. Goddard worked tirelessly to protect Pennsylvania's

natural resources and to provide current and future State

residents with access to the natural beauty of this

Commonwealth; therefore be it 

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the

contributions of Dr. Maurice K. Goddard to the Commonwealth in

the 100-year anniversary of his birth.