Former editor of The Herald Alan Goode dies, aged 72
Former Plymouth Herald editor Alan Goode has died at the age of 72, following a long period of ill health.
Mr Goode, who had a home in Somerset, worked at a wealth of regional newspapers and media companies across the country in a career that spanned six decades.
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Former newspaper editor and managing director Alan Goode returned to his reporting roots after retirement as a local newspaper community correspondent
They included The Herald, formerly known as the Western Evening Herald, the Western Morning News, Bristol United Press and the Wolverhampton Express & Star.
After a four-year battle with cancer he died yesterday at Western General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, surrounded by his family.
He leaves behind his wife Jenny, two sons Tim and Daniel, daughter Susie and two granddaughters, Hannah and Becky.
Mr Goode began his journalistic career in 1960 when he became a trainee reporter at the Oldbury Weekly News.
He subsequently spent many years in the West Midlands with both the Express & Star group and the Birmingham Post and Mail.
In 1984 Mr Goode left his position as deputy editor of the Wolverhampton Express & Star to become the editor of Plymouth's Evening Herald, owned by Northcliffe Newspapers.
With Alan Cooper as his deputy, Mr Goode was renowned for his "fantastic sense of humour and larger-than-life character".
Mr Cooper said: "I joined the Herald in the same year as Alan where I worked as his deputy editor.
"It was a partnership made in heaven and we became lifelong friends.
"He was such a lovely man and my admiration for him has never been diminished.
"He was one of the true greats in the profession and an absolute pleasure to work with – we had a fantastic partnership.
"His fantastic sense of humour will be remembered forever.
"He was a wonderful journalist, a wonderful editor and a wonderful man."
After a successful editorial career Mr Goode crossed over into general management.
In January 1987 he was appointed as deputy managing director of the Western Morning News Co Ltd, responsible for promoting the commercial development of both the Western Morning News and Evening Herald.
He continued to work in senior management positions in Plymouth, Bodmin and Yeovil, before taking over as chief executive of newspaper group Bristol United Press in October 1994 where he remained until his retirement in 2004.
Former colleagues of Mr Goode have described him as "one of the best characters of the newspaper industry", with one former workmate commenting: "He was a great – we will never see the likes of him again."
Mike Lowe, who was appointed as editor of the Bristol Evening Post by Mr Goode, said: "Alan was a true newspaper legend who was fortunate enough to live through the golden age of the regional industry.
"He was a brilliant newspaperman and an inspirational leader who was hugely respected by his peers. He had a great sense of fun and mischief and was incredibly loyal to his staff – he will be sorely missed."
Comments
by AndyGough
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 9:08AM
“I had the honour and privilege to have worked with Alan for more than 20 years. Indeed he took me with him down to Plymouth from the Wolverhampton Express and Star when he went to take up the position of Herald Editor.
Alan was one of the leading regional journalists of his generation - a natural born leader of men who took his publishing passion and unerring instincts out of the newsroom and into newspaper general management with phenomenal success.
He was one of those rare individuals who truly inspired those around him to excel in efforts to meet his very high and exacting standards. I lost count of the number of walls I ran through simply because he made me believe I could. I was not alone.
I feel privileged to have been able to call him colleague and friend – we have lost an industry giant and he will be sorely missed.”