March 20, 2012

Lynn Goldstein

Lynn Goldstein's mother's family lived in Dallas, and his father came to the city to work for a candy company. Lynn grew up in University Park, where he had many childhood friends nearby, including Gerald Ray and Ted Bernstein. He attended several local schools, including Bradfield, University Park, and Armstrong, and went on to Highland Park High School, where he recalled many Jewish classmates. The family belonged to Temple Emanu-El and observed holidays such as Passover, and his parents were involved in the community even while working through the years of the Depression.

Lynn attended Texas A&M with his friend Gerald Ray as his roommate all four years, along with other friends from Dallas. He majored in civil engineering and, through the required corps program, received a commission, serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and overseas around the mid-1950s. He married Sharon, whom he met through a set-up date arranged with friends. His mother's illness and passing brought him back to Dallas. He entered a family business making safety and protective clothing, from asbestos protection to chemical protection, work he found deeply meaningful. The company was sold to Scott Paper around 1987, and he stayed on for five years before leaving, unhappy working for a large corporation.

Lynn and Sharon raised four children, three sons and a daughter. His son Peter earned an MD-PhD from Yale and does Alzheimer's and head injury research at Boston University; another son studied architecture at Tulane and Yale and teaches at Skyline High School; his youngest son lives in Chicago and once lived in Japan; and his daughter Amy married Michael Rosen, a rabbi's son. Far from a quiet retirement, Lynn remained deeply engaged in community service, serving on the board of the National Council of Jewish Women, the Temple board, the Vickery Meadow Learning Center, a food pantry, and a community garden, as well as chairing the Industrial Safety Equipment Association.

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