By Jane Keller Gordon, Contributing Writer
Photo/submitted
Marlborough – Marlborough resident Paul Goldman’s latest volunteer project is a collaboration with metal fabrication students from Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School to create two monoculars and earhorns for the Assabet River Rail Trail.
For the project, titled “The Sights and Sounds of the Fort Meadow Reservoir,” will be completed in June 2019, when the devices will be sited on the trail near the reservoir.
This project is close to home for Goldman; he has lived near the reservoir since 1982.
Goldman, 68, who holds a Ph.D. in metallurgy, values his volunteer work. Many of his projects are an outgrowth of his scientific background combined with his passion for education.
“It’s always been a big driver for me,” he said.
Goldman grew up in Fairfield, Conn., one of four boys with a stay-at-home mom and dad who taught at the University of Bridgeport.
After high school, Goldman took classes at Bridgeport. and joined the Air Force during the Vietnam War.
“My father was in WWII and got a Purple Heart. My mother had five brothers who served in WWII. Patriotism was still in their blood,” he said.
During basic training in Lackland, Texas, Goldman became a radio relay technician.
“I was lucky that I wasn’t sent to Vietnam. I was near skirmishes in Korea, but was never in danger,” said Goldman.
When he was honorably discharged after five years, he returned to Fairfield and obtained a factory job. During that time, he met and married his wife Marsha.
Soon after, using the GI bill, Goldman resumed his education at the University of Connecticut. Eight years later, he had two children and a Ph.D.
Goldman worked in research and development for several companies and retired at 65.
His volunteer life has always been busy and rewarding. When his kids were growing up, Goldman was involved with the Scouts. He started volunteering at Assabet when his daughter attended the school in the 1990s.
In the late 1990s, Goldman joined OAR, now called OARS, a nonprofit focused on cleaning up the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord rivers. He has been a board member for the past 20 years.
Goldman has focused much of his effort on educating children about water. He was part of an effort to create Water Wise Workshops, which, over the years, has educated many young students about watersheds, plants and animals, water testing, macro invertebrates, and photography.
Two years ago, combining his enthusiasm for Assabet and OARS, Goldman worked with high school students to create a sculpture made from two bicycles pulled from the Assabet River. The “Trashy Fishbone Xylophone” is located on the Assabet River Rail Trail, off Hudson’s Main Street.
Goldman is also an active member of the Fort Meadow Association and has launched an effort to maintain cleanliness of the causeway, which bisects a section of the reservoir.
He can also be found a local open mics, playing the guitar and harmonica, and performing songs that he composes.
