Retired admiral speaks to chamber on leadership, aircraft carriers
Retired Rear Admiral John W. "Bill" Goodwin brought lessons on leadership with integrity – and how to build an aircraft carrier in 15 minutes – to the June Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Goodwin spoke to the chamber at Vestavia Country Club on Tuesday, June 12. A 64-year-old Georgia native, Goodwin's U.S. Navy career included service as a naval aviator, flight instructor, master's degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and Naval War College and training in Naval Nuclear Propulsion.
He served as commanding officer of several vessels, including as the first commanding officer of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ronald Reagan when it was commissioned in 2003. According to the U.S. Navy website, Goodwin's career included the role of deputy director of Strategy, Plans and Policy of the U.S. European Command; commander of the Naval Air Forces Atlantic Fleet; and his final tour as assistant chief of naval operations, Next Generation Enterprise Network. He retired in 2010 and taught at Auburn University as director of the Nuclear Power Generation Systems Program for six years.
Goodwin told chamber members about the importance of leadership and integrity, noting that while a manager "does things right," a leader "does the right thing." President Ronald Reagan is a personal hero of Goodwin's based on his decisions in office and his faith.
"Integrity is a core value of naval officers, of nuclear power," Goodwin said, adding that integrity is about making those choices whether no one is watching or everyone is.
Goodwin brought a slideshow of pictures showing the construction process of the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. He said aircraft carriers take about seven years and cost between $4 billion and $5 billion to construct. They weigh about 90,000 tons and are over 1,000 feet long, with room for 80 or more aircraft on the 4.5-acre flight deck.
His slideshow showed everything from the construction and assembly of the carrier to its christening ceremony in 2001, which was attended by then-President George W. Bush and former First Lady Nancy Reagan, and its commissioning in 2003. Goodwin talked about the traditions of the Navy in launching a new ship, from placing a coin under the mast – or in this case, its elevated command center – to the testing exercises the vessel and crew participated in once they went to sea.
Goodwin joked that he was showing the chamber audience how to build an aircraft carrier in 15 minutes, also pausing to teach the difference between "hanger" and "hangar," the proper pronunciation of "bow" on a ship and how to remember which side is port and which is starboard.
At the end of the speech, Goodwin tied it back to his message of integrity, telling the story of Chicago mob boss Al Capone's lawyer, Edward "Easy Eddie" O'Hare. O'Hare kept Capone out of jail for many years but eventually decided to help federal prosecutors convict him, an act for which O'Hare was later killed.
Goodwin said O'Hare's decision to act with integrity, despite its consequences, had an effect on his son Butch O'Hare, who was the Navy's first flying ace and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. Butch O'Hare flew several dangerous missions and was eventually shot down during a nighttime fighter attack against Japanese Bombers.
The Naval destroyer U.S.S. O'Hare and Chicago O'Hare International Airport are both named in his honor.
At the luncheon, the chamber announced a new eight-part seminar series on business and leadership topics it is beginning in August, based on feedback from membership surveys. More details will be publicized soon, but the seminars will be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month.
The first seminar will be Aug. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at the Vestavia Hills City Hall council chambers.
There will not be a July chamber luncheon. Learn more about upcoming chamber events at vestaviahills.org.