Doug Goodfellow was a beloved English Teacher at Volcano Vista High School, where he taught for the past 12 years. During a training ride for an upcoming cycling competition, he suffered a heart attack and unexpectedly passed on April 1st, 2022.

Doug aspired to be an English Teacher since high school, but his path took him in many other directions — bartender, car salesman, insurance agent, and more. But in his 40's, he decided to make a BIG change. Doug enrolled at the University of New Mexico to complete his bachelor's degree (As Doug would say, 'I loved college so much–I went to five of them!') while also running his Allstate Insurance agency full-time. He finished with straight A's, sold the agency (using some of the proceeds to fulfill another lifelong dream–climbing Denali!), and completed his master's degree in Master in Secondary Education.

Determined to become a teacher, he commuted from Albuquerque to Santa Fe for a year to complete his student teaching at Capitol High School. After which, he taught history at Cibola High School, and finally, he arrived where he'd always hoped to be—the English Department! He began teaching at Volcano Vista in 2008. Doug adored his students. He was known for his patience, understanding nature, and quick wit. Having come from a broken home, underperformed in high school, and dropped out of college multiple times, he was empathetic to students facing challenges at home and in the classroom.

Doug prided himself on preparing his students for college. His classes were rigorous. He boasted that he'd once overheard a student say, 'Ah man, you have Goodfellow? You actually have to do stuff in his class!' Each summer, he eagerly awaited his students' Advanced Placement test results. He wore their successes like a badge of honor. In addition to hiking and rafting, he would spend his summers improving his lesson plans for the year to come.

Doug's premature death was tragic. His absence will be felt for years to come in the Volcano Vista community. But, the impact Doug made will live on in the thousands of students and many colleagues he supported throughout his career. 

In honor of his memory and to support the students Doug left behind, his family has founded the Doug Goodfellow Memorial Scholarship. We welcome and thank you for your contributions.