George D. Goodman was born on September 13, 1940 in Saginaw, Michigan to George V. and Thelma Goodman. The Goodman family has a long history in Ypsilanti and they returned to the City the 1940s, where George grew up and attended Roosevelt High School. His mother Thelma owned and operated an important beauty and clothes store on Harriet Street from the 1940s until the late 1960s. George served four years in the military, returning to Ypsilanti where he was first elected to city council in 1970. He served as mayor of Ypsilanti for ten years from 1972 until 1982. Since his mayorship, George has been active in numerous local, state, and national civic and social organizations and is a life member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the N.A.A.C.P. and Ypsilanti Historical Society.
