2019 SPARK Lifetime Achievement Award

The College of the Arts at UL Lafayette is proud to announce and honor the late Raymond Goodrich as our 2019 SPARK Lifetime Achievement Award.  Raymond Goodrich’s passion for music and life was evident from the moment you meet him. Born in New Iberia, Raymond was exposed early to the joys of music as a young band student. Raymond was with Lafayette Music Company since 1965, working his way up to the top and eventually purchasing the business with his wife, Karen, in 1977. Raymond immersed himself in everything he did, which is evident by the long list of community organizations he was involved with through the years. He served as President of Pinhook Rotary Club, President of Holy Cross Catholic Church Pastoral Council, Boy Scout Troop Committee Chairman, Assistant Boy Scout Troop Leader, Chairman of the Better Business Bureau of Acadiana, member of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, long time member of the National Association of Music Merchants and a long time member of the Knights of Columbus, where he served as the Faithful Navigator of the 4th Degree Knights.

Raymond's service to the community and professional work was always done with a smile and a generous heart, but his happiness and zeal for life always came from the music. Yes, the music! Playing lead trumpet in numerous bands through the years, Raymond's real passion was live performance. His performance resume' was lengthy. His longest tenure was with Bobby & the Rockers and most recently he played with Gene's Boogie & Brass Band.

Raymond also made it a priority to support and foster music education at every level. In addition to his vast involvement at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as past Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the College of Arts and Architecture and former executive board member of the Alumni Association of the College of General Studies, Raymond created various endowed scholarships to fund music education for deserving music students. Those scholarships have grown through the years and have assisted nearly 150 students with more than $400,000 dedicated scholarship dollars. Lafayette Music Company continues to add to those scholarships annually through proceeds from its Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands State Championships, launched by Raymond in 1989. The Showcase has raised over $1 million dollars, toward improving music programs in Louisiana.

In regards to his dedication to the students at UL Lafayette, Raymond with his trademark smile, was heard to say, “It’s about the kids anything for the kids.” Raymond’s legacy of giving and love of music lives on a Lafayette Music Company, and through the beautiful family.