Trustee, Parent Pens MLK Book

Trustee Marcus ‘Goodie’ Goodloe, whose daughter Hannah is currently a senior and will graduate in spring 2024, has written three books, including King Maker: Applying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Leadership Lessons in Working with Athletes and Entertainers. Goodloe travels the country and uses the book to mentor students, educators, business professionals and athletes about character formation and faith. 

He recently spoke with Eric Bryant, current Westmont parent and pastor of Gateway Church, for a special reflection on King’s legacy for the Post-Christian Podcast.

Goodloe says that King, who would have been 95 on Jan. 15, would have said that whether you’re a person sweeping the streets or giving a lecture from a pulpit, you should do it with excellence. “Whatever gifts you have, look at those and see how you can make a difference,” Goodloe says. 

The great poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said the purpose of life is not simply to be happy, but it is to make a difference. “Part of being a person of influence is recognizing what you’ve been given and how can you use those gifts to make the world better?” Goodloe says. “In Dr. King’s brief 39 years here on earth, he did more than some people will do many lifetimes over. We all can’t be Dr. King, but we all can use the gifts and talents that God has given us to advance the cause of others, to give voice to the voiceless, to give hope to people void of such, to be repairers of the breach, and to have people have a sense of purpose, knowing that that there’s more to this life than just what they can take. It’s also blessed to give.”