Charles Goodman

An avid collector of pre-war automobiles, Charles Goodman, formerly of Goodman Lumber in San Francisco, is recognized by Sports Car Market Magazine as one of the top 50 collectors in the U.S. His fascination with the hobby began in 1965, when a chance conversation led to his purchase of a 1926 Model T for $600.

Although he has pursued his hobby passionately throughout the years since that first Model T, Goodman has been able to devote himself more completely to his hobby since his retirement in 2000. He joined the Board of Directors of the world-renowned Auburn Cord Duesenberg Auto Mobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana – a position he still holds. He has also served on the board of the LeMay – America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.

Charles Goodman has been an active community resident in Marin County. In addition to his directorships at the car museums, he served three terms as mayor of Ross, his hometown. He has also served on the board of the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning at the University of San Francisco since 2002. His crowning achievement, though, has been the Marin-Sonoma Concours d'Elegance. It was in 2006, when he was having a conversation with Al Boro, the mayor of San Rafael, at the finish line of the famous Great Race – a cross-country vintage car race – that Goodman realized that Marin County could support a major vintage car show. The seed planted, Goodman began organizing the event as a fundraiser for Hospice By The Bay, and, in May 2009, the first Marin-Sonoma Concours d'Elegance was held, with over 165 vintage cars entered in 18 classes. Goodman went on to chair the next two Concours as well, before stepping down as chairman in 2012.