Donald L. Goddard ’56

Don died Oct. 1, 2021, at his home in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. 

His mother was a diplomat’s daughter, his father a pioneering newscaster. After Roslyn High School, he chose Princeton as his father did before him (Class of  ’26) and fell in love with Renaissance art. He joined the band, glee club, and Terrace Club, and majored in art and archaeology. Later, he studied at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University 

As a writer and editor, he co-founded a photo archive; was managing editor of ARTnews; and, in a cherished second career, was senior editor at the Bronx Zoo (the Wildlife Conservation Society). His published books include American Painting (1990) and Saving Wildlife: A Century of Conservation (1995).

For 18 years Don also collaborated with feminist artist (and second wife) Hannah Wilke. At her direction, he photographed many of her famous performalist works, and produced (and filmed most of) her posthumous “IntraVenus Tapes” (2007), which document the final months before her death from lymphoma.

After retiring, he wrote reviews for newyorkartworld.com and established Wilke’s legacy with gallerist Ronald Feldman. With his third wife, Helen, he traveled in Europe on Wilke’s behalf and visited daughters Kate and Nell (with his first wife, Connie), who were Peace Corps volunteers in Ukraine and Bulgaria, respectively. They survive him, as do two stepsons, seven grandchildren, and three sisters.