New Mural honors 2003 Historymaker Calvin Goode

A new mural recognizes Calvin Goode for his many contributions to Phoenix. The Historical League honored him as a Historymaker in 2003 with his biography and photos on our website. Known to many as the conscience of the council, Goode died in December at the age of 93. The artists wanted to honor a Phoenix civil rights icon. “He was a really good man, and Isaac was looking for a way to commemorate him, and this just was the perfect opportunity,” Yazzie said. Though Caruso never met Goode in person, he drew inspiration from his father’s stories of a selfless public servant. “When (Goode) passed, I definitely wanted to do something to commemorate his life’s work, because he just genuinely wanted to see the community do better and he didn’t care about the limelight,” Caruso said. “He had zero ego and wasn’t trying to impress anybody, he just wanted to get (things) done.” He served on Phoenix City Council from 1972 to 1994 and was the longest-tenured person in that body’s history. He was the second Black person elected to council and served as vice mayor in 1974 and 1984. “I’m just relaying the message, Calvin did all the hard work,” muralist Caruso said. “I also want people to start looking up to his personality more in the realm of leadership. Like, it’s not all just about being flashy and making huge promises you can’t deliver and being selfish. We should really vote for people who are more along the lines of Calvin.” azcentral.com