Paul Goldman

Paul Harry Goldman (Pioneer radio and television station general manager)
Born	August 10, 1912 Atlanta, Georgia Resident of Monroe, Louisiana
Died	June 29, 2018 (aged 106)
Political Party	Democrat
Spouse	Gertie Marie O'Rillion Goldman (deceased) Five children: J. Phillip Goldman (deceased) Mitchell J. Goldman James O. Goldman Marylin G. Ritter Cassie R. Tadin
Religion	Jewish

Paul Harry Goldman (August 10, 1912 – June 29, 2018) was a pioneer radio and television broadcasting executive from Monroe, Louisiana.

Of Jewish descent, Goldman was born in Atlanta, Georgia, a son of Jacob and Rose Goldman. He managed radio stations in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi, and Alexandria, Louisiana, before relocating to Monroe in 1951. There he managed the AM radio station KNOE owned by James A. Noe, who served as the interim governor of Louisiana from January to May 1936. Noe also assigned Goldman to seek a license from the Federal Communications Commission to launch KNOE-TV, the CBS affiliate for northeastern Louisiana, which began broadcasting from Monroe on September 27, 1953, not long before other stations opened in 1954 in Shreveport (KSLA-CBS in northwestern Louisiana) and Alexandria, KALB-NBC in central Louisiana. Goldman remained as general manager of KNOE until he retired in 1977.^[1] In his later years, he was general manager when Noe hired Ken Booth, who remained for twenty-five years as the KNOE news director.^[2]

Goldman was active in many civic organizations. A Democrat,^[3] he was a member of the 1973 Louisiana Constitutional Convention, which met in Baton Rouge; its membership was elected on a non-partisan basis. He served on the Monroe Council of Aging, Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Better Business Bureau, Kiwanis International, and the Monroe Recreation Board. He was a founding member of the University of Louisiana at Monroe's Boosters Club, of which he was the president for one year.^[1]

Goldman was married to the former Gertie Marie O'Rillion (1914-2006), a Roman Catholic originally from Gonzales in Ascension Parish near Baton Rouge. She had her own program on WJBO, the first radio station in the capital city. She joined a traveling musical review as a featured singer and dancer and toured across in the United States and Canada. When the tour ended, she returned to Baton Rouge, married Goldman, and became a mother and homemaker. She continued having her own singing programs on radio in Baton Rouge and Alexandria. On settling in Monroe, she was instrumental in the development of Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church. She also worked to establish the first Catholic Daughters of America chapter on the ULM campus in Monroe.^[4]

The Goldmans had a daughter, Marylin G. Ritter (husband James) of Blountville, Tennessee, and three sons, the late J. Phillip Goldman (wife Charo) of Richmond, Virginia, Mitchell Joseph Goldman (1943-2019) of Monroe, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, while his parents resided there and subsequently also worked in the broadcasting field,^[5] and James Oliver Goldman (wife Nelia), also of Monroe.

Goldman died at the age of 106, some twelve years after his wife's passing. A private service was held on July 2, 2018.^[1]

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