Johnny Goyen Papers

Johnny Goyen was born on August 4, 1925 in Houston as John Parker Goyen Jr. He attended the University of Houston, where, in 1938, he met Jack Valenti, who would later become an aid to Lyndon B. Johnson. With Valenti, Goyen created a petition that spurred the creation of a football team at UH in 1941. Goyen took a brief hiatus from his education to serve in World War II as a P-47 pilot and gunnery instructor in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Following his return to Houston and graduation from UH, Goyen maintained an active interest in university affairs, eventually becoming the first executive director of the UH Alumni Association. The University honored his dedication in 1981 by inducting Goyen into the UH Hall of Honor.

In 1957, alongside business partners Earl Galceran, Bill Sherrill, Welcome Wilson, and Jack Valenti, Goyen helped create the Jamaica Corporation to develop Jamaica Beach, a 2000-lot resort subdivision on Galveston Island. The subdivision was built upon a burial ground of the Karankawa People, prompting Goyen to create historical programs to preserve their memory and draw public attention. Jamaica Beach was officially incorporated on May 12, 1975, with most lots having already sold.

Goyen served on Houston City Council in At Large Position #3 from 1956-1981. He returned in 1982 to fill in the At Large Position #4 after the death of Homer L. Ford. During his time on Council, Goyen acted as an avid proponent of air pollution control and anti-billboard legislations. As a non-smoker, he advocated heavily for a Houston non-smoking ordinance to be implemented in public spaces. In perhaps the most notable moment of his career, Goyen aided Phyllis Frye, who would later become the first openly transgender judge to serve in Houston, in repealing the anti-crossdressing ordinance. On August 12, 1980, with Goyen acting as Mayor Pro-Tem due to Mayor Jim McConn being out of town, Goyen called for a vote on the repeal of this ordinance. The vote went through, and the ordinance has never been reinstated.

Goyen died on March 14, 1990 at the age of seventy one from complications of heart disease. His legacy lives on in Johnny Goyen Park, located on the University of Houston campus at Main and Buffalo Bayou. This park was dedicated in 1987.