Local Legends: The man from Maine

Instrumental in the creation of Miami University’s first ice arena, Lloyd Albert Goggin had a long career at Miami University.

Goggin was the youngest of 15 children, born on Nov. 16, 1918 to George and Susan “Susie” (Lewis) Goggin. He was a native of Randolph, Maine. and would later be known as “The Man from Maine” due to his affection for the state. 

Growing up in Maine with Canadian immigrants for parents, it’s no surprise that Goggin gained an affection for ice skating and hockey at an early age. He unfortunately lost his father at an early age when George Goggin died in 1926.

While in high school, Goggin met June Ellen (Gallant) Goggin, and the pair became sweethearts. After graduating from high school, he moved in with his brother and sister-in-law, Richard S. and Emma L. Goggin. He found employment at a local shoe factory, likely the Commonwealth Shoe Factory in Gardiner, Maine, working in the treeing room. 

Around 1940, Goggin moved to Massachusetts and attended college at the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance. He had completed his first year by the time he received his draft notice for service in World War II. 

After his induction into the United States Army on Jun. 30, 1941, Goggin was sent to the Army Finance Officer Candidate School at Duke University. He eventually rose to the rank of captain and served as a financial officer with the Army Air Force for the duration of the war.

Goggin wed June Ellen in Macon, Georgia, on Jun. 30, 1943, the beginning of a 74-year marriage. After the war, Goggin returned to Maine and completed his undergraduate at Bowdoin College.

The family moved to Oxford in 1947 when Goggin joined Miami University’s administration as the university’s comptroller. The Goggins raised four children — Pam, Pat, Penny and Paul — in Oxford and quickly became heavily involved in the community.

With the death of vice president and treasurer Wallace P. Roudebush in 1956, Goggin was named treasurer of Miami University by the university’s Board of Trustees. From that point forward, Goggin was the man behind the money in every major decision and action taken by Miami University.

Goggin, who would also earn his MBA from Miami, worked closely with president Phillip Shriver ,who promoted him to Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs and University Treasurer in 1965. In this position, Goggin managed the finances for the significant expansion of Miami University that occurred in the second half of the 20th Century, including the tripling of student enrollment and the establishment of the Hamilton, Middletown and Luxembourg campuses.

Goggin didn’t limit his work to only the university. He also served as a member of Oxford Rotary Club, the directory of Oxford United Appeals, a member of the board of directors for Citizen’s Bank of Hamilton, a member of the Butler County T.B. Association, a member of the board of trustees for the Central Ohio River Valley Authority and a member of the board of directors for the Miami Conservancy District.

However, one of his greatest community endeavors was his association with McCullough-Hyde Hospital. As chairman of the hospital board in the 1970s, Goggin arranged for the expansion of the hospital through the acquisition of additional properties adjacent to the site and the construction of a major addition to the building. He also sat on the personnel board for the hospital.

Today, Goggin is most remembered for being the driving force behind the establishment of Miami University's ice arena. Perhaps inspired by Cincinnati Gardens, where he had held at least one birthday party for one of his children, and based on his love for skating and hockey, the creation of Miami’s ice arena became Goggin’s pet project.

Despite encountering resistance to the proposed ice arena, Goggin was able to see the project through to completion. When it opened in 1976, the Hamilton Journal-News called the arena “A new dimension in recreation.”

Goggin’s dedication to Miami University and Oxford led to a pair of awards in 1975 when he was named an Oxford Citizen of the Years and he and his wife were named Miami’s Parents of the Year.

He retired from Miami in 1982 after 35 years in the university's administration. Two years later, Goggin Ice Arena was rededicated in his honor. 

When a new ice center was constructed by Miami in 2006, it was also named for Goggin. Goggin Ice Center continues to host ice skating, broomball and hockey for not only the university, but also the Oxford community.

Goggin died on Oct. 15, 2017 at age 98, with June Ellen following him on Jul. 31, 2020 at age 100. 

Phillip Shriver wrote about Goggin Ice Area, “How fitting then that this Ice Arena, on the campus he served so long and so well, bears his name, for he more than any other is responsible for its presence.”

Brad Spurlock is the manager of the Smith Library of Regional History and Cummins Local History Room, Lane Libraries. A certified archivist, Brad has over a decade of experience working with local history, maintaining archival collections and collaborating on community history projects.