Ronald E. Goldman ’61

Ron, also known to us as “Goldie,” died of acute myeloid leukemia Sept. 28, 2023. His Los Angeles Times obituary said, “Like everything else in his life, he faced this challenge with humor and a warm smile.”

Born in Los Angeles, he came to us from Beverly High School, where he and Jim Blair were football co-captains and he was student body president. At Princeton, Ron majored in architecture, played varsity football, ate at Cottage Club, and roomed with Jim Blair, John Boorn, Bob Diaz, Gary Loftus, Don Spangenberg, and Gary Fields.

Following an M.A. in architecture and urban planning at MIT, Ron entered the profession and in 1975 founded Goldman Firth Rossi Architects in Malibu. Thus began a remarkable career during which his work with homes, schools, religious buildings, and commercial developments was celebrated as “architecture that shelters without enclosing and defines without limiting.” He won more than 50 design awards over those years and was involved in many community service activities locally and nationally.  

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Barbara; children Karen and Mark and their families, which include a grandson; brother Ken ’64; and sister Lynne.