His name is Earl.

Earl Goddard, the new security patrolman at Missouri Southern, has been serving the Joplin area for more than 40 years. He retired from the Joplin Central Fire Department after 41 years in 1995.

Earl was born and raised in Dueneweg. Mo., and began his career as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown before coming to Joplin. He became Joplin’s first fire marshal as well as the town’s youngest battalion chief.

Earl said he enjoyed working for the fire department, although at times “the job was good and sometimes bad.” The people he met at the department were all close to each other.

“The crew that I worked with was more like a family,” he said.

After Earl retired from the fire department, he was employed at EaglePicher Inc. for six years.

Goddard is currently a senior general studies major at Southern. He started in the fall of 2002 and has taken classes every semester including summer classes. His favorite courses have been in law. He has an associate degree in paralegal studies, and expects to graduate in May.

Goddard writes in his spare time, and is currently working on his first novel. The story will be about a unique naval frigate ship in the Revolutionary War and a son of a successful merchant, who lost both of his brothers to the British. The story will entail the character wanting his revenge. Readers will also recognize some famous names from the war. Goddard says he’s had the idea of that story for years.

Goddard also thought about writing an autobiography on his life in the fire department.

“I’ve never written anything until now,” he said. “I went through the English classes, then developed an interest in writing.”

As a part of campus security, Goddard has many responsibilities. Patrolling the campus, residence halls security and keeping an eye out for parking violations are some of these. He said everyone he works with have been helpful.

“I want the students to follow the rules for the safety of others as well as their own,” he said. “So everyone can have an enjoyable experience while attending Southern.”

He says the students need to improve on parking in the fire lanes.

“I know it’s a disadvantage for students having to walk a long way in this kind of weather, but they don’t realize the peril they are putting others in,” he said.

Goddard can be located at Blaine Hall, or through the campus security dispatch at 626-2222.