John Goodell, 94; Inventor Also Made Documentary Films

John Goodell, 94, an inventor and documentary filmmaker nominated for an Academy Award for the feature “Always a New Beginning,” died April 4 in St. Paul, Minn., of natural causes.

A native of Omaha, Goodell was a high school dropout, but after studying radio technology in the Navy during World War II, he became a successful electromechanical engineer.

He was director of engineering at Minnesota Electronics, an engineer for CBS Laboratories in Stamford, Conn., and technical director for U.S. Industries in New York City.

His inventions include an automatic mail handling system, a magnetic pulse-control device, a conditioned reflex teaching machine and a machine that automates packaging of fine candy.

In the 1960s, he began his filmmaking career by setting up a motion picture studio and sound stage in St. Paul. His 1973 Oscar-nominated film involved two doctors with the Institutes for Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia. Goodell traveled around the world, recording the doctors’ efforts to determine how children learn in various cultures.

In the 1990s, Goodell worked for the Science Museum of Minnesota and as director of engineering for Tomorrow’s World, both in St. Paul. He also helped popularize the Asian strategy game of Go in the U.S.