“Learn to Give Now”:
Goodall ’66 Urges Support for Cadets

“VMI is helping make these [cadets] the leaders of tomorrow. It sounds corny, but it’s exactly the truth, with the right foundations and the right values. And we need to do more. This country needs to do more. Other schools aren’t doing what we’re doing. We’re doing a better job.” That’s what Richard “Dick” Goodall ’66 says when asked why he makes supporting VMI such a meaningful philanthropic priority.

Interviewed while on post for his 60th Reunion in April 2026, Goodall discussed his consequential VMI journey and the importance of alumni giving back to the Institute while they are still alive and can enjoy the benefit of meeting the cadets they’re helping.

Goodall was also honored during his visit to post. In a brief ceremony held at the Aquatic Center, Goodall was presented with the Spirit of VMI Award, the VMI Keydet Club’s highest honor. Presenting the award were Andrew Deal ’12, Keydet Club chief operating officer and Alumni Agencies chief development officer, and Kelly Sweppenhiser ’06, Keydet Club president. Also present were Lt. Gen. David Furness ’87, superintendent, and a number of coaches of VMI’s NCAA athletic teams.

Now a resident of Chestertown, Maryland, Goodall followed in the footsteps of his father, Richard B. Goodall, Class of 1931, in deciding to attend the Institute. There was no overt pressure to attend VMI, but his father’s example of honesty and integrity spoke louder than words, so in fall 1962, Goodall arrived on post to begin the Rat Line, and a year later, his younger brother, Douglas “Doug” Goodall ’67, joined him on post. Since that time, Goodall’s son, Taylor Goodall ’03, and his nephew, Doug Goodall ’04, have graduated from the Institute, making theirs a three-generation VMI family.

During his cadetship, Goodall was a 4-year member of the Keydet swim team, serving as co-captain in his 1st Class year. He did not hold rank, remaining a private throughout his cadetship—a decision he’s still happy with today. “It doesn’t matter what rank you are; it matters what happens when you get out [of VMI],” he observed.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Goodall served in the U.S. Army for 2 years before joining Dixon Valve & Coupling, a company his grandfather founded in 1916, and he remains actively involved in the business today.

Like many people working in specialized industries, Goodall has a quick way of explaining what his company does. “It’s a manufacturer of hose couplings,” he said. “I mean, if you’re describing this whole room, you wouldn’t describe the hinges, but the doors wouldn’t work without hinges, and hoses don’t work without couplings. We make couplings for all sorts of hoses, from small water hoses to large oil transfer hoses and everything in between. We’ve been around for a long time. We’re pretty good at it, too.”

Asked how the precepts he’d learned at VMI have guided his career in a fiercely competitive industry, Goodall answered with a reflection on the seamless integration of values between his family and the Institute. “Our business is 110 years old,” he noted. “One-half of 1% of companies last over 100 years. I’m convinced it’s not what we make or what we do; it’s how we do it and who we have doing it that makes a difference. … I don’t think VMI changed me. I think VMI reinforced the values my family instilled in me for 17, 18 years before I came to VMI.

“The things I’ve had an opportunity to do in civilian life, working for our company, in particular, is make sure that we mirror the values that we had at VMI,” he continued. “We never compromise honor and integrity in our business. Our job is to delight the customer, not to satisfy them.”

Over the years, Goodall has endowed many scholarships and experienced the joy of getting to know some of the young people he’s helping. Among his treasures are thank-you letters from those cadets, many of whom are now alumni, recounting how they never would have been able to attend a college like VMI without scholarship support. “Over the last 10 or 15 years, our family has been able to give back to VMI through scholarships and to other areas of need,” he said. “The joys of giving back when you’re alive are absolutely incredible. It’s fine for people to say I’m going to wait and endow this or whatever when I pass away. But my recommendation is if you want to really see what’s going on at VMI and see the difference you can make, learn to give now, and do so to the greatest level possible. Talk to your recipient who gets your scholarship. Don’t wait—the return on it is so great.”

Goodall has particularly enjoyed getting to know Kate Taylor ’24, a swimmer who won the Keydet Club’s three-legged stool award in 2024, an honor bestowed on a cadet-athlete each year who best exemplifies the VMI ethos of excellence in academics, athletics, and military discipline. “I was so impressed with her, and her appreciation is just amazing. She said she never would have been able to go to college, at least to this college, without that kind of help.”

Getting to know cadets as he does, Goodall is convinced that VMI is making the world a better place, one young person at a time. “From the [cadets] that I have met, that we have been involved with, there’s no doubt in my mind that these people are going to make a difference, a positive difference, in the world,” he stated. “They carry on the values we sorely need in this country, of honesty and integrity. … When you’re able to help people who maybe don’t have the advantage that your family has, help them out. It’s fun. It’s more than fun. It’s so satisfying.”

During his reunion, Goodall was able to chat informally with cadets—and in many cases, hear how thankful they are for the VMI experience. “I had the opportunity to go to Crozet Hall for lunch, and a number of cadets came up and just talked to us,” he stated. “Some of them we were helping. And it’s just so heartwarming for these [cadets] looking you in the eye and saying thank you for your help. It wouldn’t have been possible without that, and that’s just wonderful. You’re not going to get that once you’re 6 feet under. Do it now. There’s nowhere else you can give that’s going to return as much to this country.”

And while he’s a passionate advocate of scholarships, Goodall is quick to note there are plenty of other areas all across post, such as the Peay Endowment, infrastructure, athletics, the Center for Leadership and Ethics, and the chaplain’s office, that are equally worthy of support—particularly in an era where state funding cannot meet all needs.

Goodall likens the impact of private support to the ripples that emanate once a stone is thrown into still water. “Your [gift] might be like the rock hitting the calm creek, and all the ripples go out from that. Some ripples aren’t going to go as far as other ripples, but unless you start throwing stones, there won’t be any ripples. … Put your money where your values are. It’s so much fun, and it multiplies so many times.”