George "Bud" Goding is May's Woodlander of the Month. Bud serves on the Woodland Public Library's Board of Directors and has been an essential component in making the library the fabulous place it is. Congratulations, Bud, and thank you for all your great service to our community.
George was born in Caspar, Wyoming and was a 1967 graduate of Placer High School in Auburn, California. He spent two years at Sierra Junior College in Rocklin, followed by two years at the University of California, San Diego and two years at the University of Nevada, Reno. He graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology. He is in his 27th year as a clinical chemist at the Vet Med Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis. He has resided in Woodland since 1977 and has been married to his wife Kathleen for 30 years. They have two sons, Jeffrey and Kevin, both graduates of Woodland High and the University of California, Davis.
Bud has said that: "free libraries are one of the foundations of our society, and after public education the best possible use of tax monies. Beyond providing books and reading material, our library serves as a focal point for community interaction and learning activities. Very few public agencies affect our community in so many positive ways as the library."
A note from Paul Miller, Woodland Public Library's Service Director: "Bud has been on the Library Board of Trustees for ten years, and for the last 3 ½ years has been doing his second stint as president. We kid him that he’s president only because he checks out so many books. He’s the best reader on the board, always getting here early before board meetings so that he has time to check out six or seven books.
He has been a strong advocate for a) increasing the percentage of the budget spent on books and other library materials, b) privacy of the records of library users, c) and staff welfare. He is very mindful of staff morale and is determined that every worker here should enjoy her job. He has also spoken often with city management and city council to make sure that the city remembers the importance and popularity of this library to local residents. He runs a good, efficient meeting—though not quite on the Matt Rexroad level.
During his tenure as president, library use has doubled, both in terms of people walking in the door and in terms of number of items being checked out. The staff has had the wherewithal to do their jobs, and has felt highly appreciated by the library board, especially because of Bud’s attention. His strength of character gives everyone strength in rough times, and his reasonable approach to library trusteeship makes working relationships easy and pleasant.
Bud’s a great guy, and I’m so pleased that he’s getting this attention."
The Woodlander of the Month Award is co-sponsored by Woodland Mayor, David Flory; the Daily Democrat; and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland: Matt Rexroad (3rd dist.) and Duane Chamberlain (5th dist.)