By Chris Flook—
Muncie, IN — Residents of Muncie, Indiana will say goodbye to Civil Rights leader Hurley Goodall at a 2:00 PM memorial service this Sunday, May 23, 2021 at Cornerstone Park. It would have been Goodall’s 94th birthday. Goodall passed away on May 12.
The service will be led by Bishop Keith O’Neal, pastor at Destiny Christian Center International, and will feature short eulogies from community leaders, friends, colleagues, and family. The service will conclude with a ‘Last Call’ ceremony by the Muncie Fire Department. Goodall served as a Muncie firefighter for 20 years.
Goodall’s lifetime achievements are numerous. A graduate of Muncie Central High School, Goodall spent two years in the United States Army and worked at Muncie Malleable Foundry Company after his discharge. He spent most of his life as a Civil Rights leader; two decades as a firefighter, who along with John Blair, was one of the city’s first paid African Americans in the MFD; he served on numerous civic and nonprofit boards; and he was the first African American to serve on the Muncie Community Schools Board of Education. In 1978, he was elected to represent the good citizens of Muncie as a state representative in the Indiana General Assembly, a position he held until his retirement in 1992. In this role, Goodall sponsored and co-authored many bills, including the official state recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and was a founding member of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus. Goodall was also a public historian, researching and documenting Muncie’s Black history.
The service will begin promptly at 2:00 PM at Cornerstone Park, located at the southwest corner of Madison and Main streets in downtown Muncie. Limited seating is available and we encourage participants to bring a lawn chair.
Goodall’s obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestarpress/obituary.aspx?n=hurley-c-goodall&pid=198666520&fhid=19234
