Mervyn Goodman is my maternal 4th cousin 1x removed. Yewdall family tree Here
Parents: Abraham Goodman (1901 - 1991) and Theresa Yewdall (1904 - 1970)
Born: 8 January 1928 in Liverpool, England
Married: Jeanette Rozella Burman in Liverpool, England (Apr - Jun) 1954. Mervyn was 26 and Jeanette was 24
Children
- Judith A Goodman 1955 -
- Ian L Goodman 1957 -
- Stephanie Miriam Goodman 1961 -
Occupation: General medical practitioner
Death
25 October 2004 at age 76 from pancreatic cancer, in Bournemouth, England
Obituary
Mervyn Goodman
Former general practitioner Liverpool (b Liverpool 8 January 1928; q Liverpool 1951), died from pancreatic cancer on 25 October 2004 aged 76.
Dr Goodman was educated at the Liverpool Collegiate and graduated in medicine from the University of Liverpool in 1951. He served his national service in Germany and then joined his father in the inner city family practice in Queens Road, Everton.
In the early 1960s Liverpool City Council embarked on an abhorrent housing policy based on compulsory purchase of property and the relocation of the population to estates on the fringe of the city. Mervyn realised that this would not only greatly distress local people but could threaten the viability of his practice. Consequently he founded and chaired a local community group which voiced the concerns of residents about their future. This leadership and representative experience was to stand him in good stead in his medico-political career.
Eventually the practice population dwindled and Dr Goodman moved to a new practice in Netherley, a new housing development in the South end of the city. He was promised a new health centre in a thriving new community and an eventual practice list size in excess of 20 000. Unfortunately he had another battle on his hands as the erection of the health centre was delayed and the housing development was not accompanied by amenities such as schools, shops, or leisure facilities. He was totally bemused when Netherley received a European award for urban planning.
At different stages in his career Mervyn experienced all the drawbacks of practising in a declining area and an under-resourced urban development. He was vociferous in his opposition to the problems he encountered and had constant battles with the local and health authorities to obtain better services for his patients, but never once did he complain that he had been let down and deserved better. In fact he built up an innovative practice involving himself as a leader in the development of clinical research, and he was one of the first doctors to introduce computers into his practice. He was one of the founding GPs involved in the RCGP weekly return service and he set up one of the early primary health care teams as the basic structure from which to deliver an exceptional standard of care to his patients.
His experiences in practice and his skills of leadership led to his representing doctors as a member and chairman of Liverpool Local Medical Committee. He filled many health service management roles, where he expressed the views of the medical profession in his typically forthright manner. In addition he was an enthusiastic supporter of the BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners on Merseyside, and was awarded a fellowship of both bodies.
He was a member of the BMA for over 50 years and was an active member of its council for 16 years. He served with distinction on the General Medical Services Committee from 1967 to 1990 championing the cause of all GPs, particularly those working in underprivileged urban areas.
For 30 years Mervyn Goodman represented Liverpool general practitioners both locally and nationally. His leadership contributed to the growth of Liverpool’s influence on general practice in the UK. He was proud of the city’s high profile and, unselfishly, was delighted by the success of his friends and colleagues.
Outside his professional life Mervyn was dedicated to his family. He attended the BMA annual meeting with Jeanette regularly over a 30 year period, participating fully in the social activities as well as the formal business of the conference. He was a member of the Greenbank Synagogue and was a member of the Board of Deputies of British Jews for 25 years.
Mervyn and Jeanette retired to Bournemouth, partly because they liked the amenities and had friends in the area, but also because he could indulge in his favourite hobby tending a substantial garden.
Dr Goodman is survived by wife, Jeanette; two daughters; a son; and eight grandchildren. [Ian Bogle, British Medical Journal 2005 Jan 1; 330(7481): 47.]
Publication
Goodman, Mervyn The Jewish Community of Liverpool. The Jewish Journal of Sociology. 1996, pp. 89-104. The full document is HERE