back & forth JUNE GOGGIN
100 Years of a Wonderful Life Editor’s note: You may have noticed that my editor’s note looks different this time. With everything else in our world out of kilter right now, why not? Actually, I decided to forgo the usual letters pages and my column so that you could join me in sharing a delightful afternoon with June Goggin four days before her 100th birthday. Sitting on her front porch with her daughter, Pam, so that we can remain outside and properly distanced, June laughs as she recounts favorite family stories, her mind sharp as a tack, her Maine accent as thick and comforting as corn chowder. Some would say this upbeat story has a sad ending because June passed away five weeks after her birthday on July 31, 2020. But I prefer to think of it another way. My last question to June was whether she had any regrets, anything she wished she’d done differently. Puzzling over the question, she thought about it, considered it this way and that, and finally said: No. No regrets. Not a one. What a blessing to be able to say that after all she experienced. It takes work, determination, and downright gumption to look for the bright side in everything and everyone. Bless you, June Goggin. You did, indeed, live a wonderful life.
June Goggin has never watched the bittersweet classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Still, she loves the title because she thinks it describes her own life perfectly, although she recalls only sweet, no bitter. At age 100, June has lots of years to reflect on, which she did when she celebrated her centennial birthday June 25. Many of her dear Oxford and Miami University friends paraded by her cottage at The Knolls of Oxford that afternoon, waving and honking and holding up signs of congratulations as she sat under a canopy in the driveway and waved back. You may not know June, but if you’ve been on Miami’s Oxford campus, you’ve more than likely walked by the Goggin Ice Center on Oak Street. She’s that Goggin. Or rather, part of the couple the ice center honors. Her husband, Lloyd MBA ’63, became Miami’s comptroller in 1947, treasurer in 1956, and vice president for finance and business affairs from 19661982. He died in 2017 at the age of 98. STA RT I N G O U T I N M AINE
June and her daughter, Pam, read through the best wishes and funny thoughts that friends and family drop off during June’s 100th birthday parade.
June grew up in the tiny Maine town of Gardiner, which to this day she calls Gahd-na. Known as June Gallant back then, she was the first of three daughters. Her father traveled from Canada with his brother to find jobs. They found wives, too, marrying sisters. Her father, Edward, bought into a filling station. Her mother, Florence, worked in a shoe factory. Being from Maine, she was ice skating while still in diapers. However, when she discovered books, she decided she preferred to stay in and read and leave the outdoor sports to her friends. Always the extrovert, she enjoyed school but had to work at it. She also enjoyed her high
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