Remembering Sam Goldman, Skyline College Teacher

Speaking excitedly and staring at the back wall (as was his  custom), the Mission High and San Jose State grad made a community college newspaper sound like just about the most exciting thing in the world to two students -- Joe Krumm and John Murphy who soon enrolled at the San Bruno school and joined the Skyline Press.

Other peninsula students followed, such as Robert Dugoni who became a lawyer and novelist and Mark Katches, who helped the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel win a Pulitzer Prize.

"Sam is a journalist to his core, but in teaching he found a way to spread his love of writing to hundreds of students now applying their craft throughout the world. I am only one of them," Dugoni wrote.

Goldman, 87, died Tuesday and the impact is being felt around newsrooms, in press boxes and at colleges in the Bay Area and beyond -- for the little man with the glass-full attitude was the gold standard for journalism teachers and Sports Information Directors alike. Those are both roles he served at Crestmoor, Skyline College, San Francisco State and with the West Coast Conference, most recently serving on the SID or volunteer helper side in press boxes from Stanford to St. Mary's.

It was in that capacity where Goldman became known for dispensing butterscotch candies and friendly advice and even dashing off congratulatory notes with Snoopy stickers to just-hired scribes and PR types.   

Now with Social Media sites overflowing with praise for Goldman, John Murphy traces the remarkable career of the man and reminisces about a journalistic force of nature not likely to be seen again in the Bay Area in his column on Prep2Prep.com. 

Read Murphy's full feature about Goldman here.