The following phone call took place on March 12, 1979, between Phil Brigandi, 1979 Section W4B Chief, and E. Urner Goodman, Founder of the Order of the Arrow. The audio was donated on Mr. Brigandi’s behalf by historian David Daniels to the National OA Digital Archive.
Transcriber: Eli Levsky
Date Transcribed: August 20, 2025
Summary: Phil Brigandi, a section chief, calls Dr. E. Urner Goodman to request a recorded message for the 1979 Section W4B Conclave.
Note: Language has been edited for clarity.
Unknown: Hello?
Phil Brigandi: Hello. I wonder if I could speak to Dr. Goodman?
Unknown: Yes, just a minute. Who is it, please?
Brigandi: This is Phillip Brigandi. I’m a section chief in the Order of the Arrow.
Unknown: Yes, alright. Hold the wire.
Brigandi: Thank you.
Unknown: <Unclear Audio> A boy wants to speak to you.
Urner Goodman: Hello?
Brigandi: Hello. Dr. Goodman?
Goodman: This is.
Brigandi: My name is Phillip Brigandi. We’ve never met. I’m the section chief out in Section W4B.
Goodman: Thank you. I’m glad to hear your voice, Brother.
Brigandi: Yes. It’s good speaking to you, also. I … sometimes wonder if I’m ever get to meet you in person.
Goodman: [laughs] That’s alright, my Brother.
Brigandi: Mhm. I wanted to ask you something.
Goodman: Yes.
Brigandi: We’ve got a conclave coming up, and we’re lamenting the fact that we can’t afford to ask you out to it. We’re having Bill Downs out, and the national vice chief is from our section—
Goodman: Yeah.
Brigandi: So he’ll be there and … Then we got to discussing that if you were willing, we could, we have a setup that we could record s— a few words from you over the telephone that we could play at one of our shows as sort of some words from you to our members.
Goodman: Yeah. Mhm.
Brigandi: And so, my reason for calling, I guess it’s actually this evening out there. I was going to say —
Goodman: <Unclear Audio>
Brigandi: — this afternoon.
Goodman: What, what is the time? <Unclear audio> What, what day is this?
Brigandi: This is our conclave is <Unclear Audio> til the last weekend in April, the 27th, the 28th.
Goodman: <Unclear Audio> what I thought.
Brigandi: So that —
Goodman: Yeah.
Brigandi: — if you were willing, we could… I could give you some time and then set a date to get back to you when you’d be around and and do that.
Goodman: You mean, you would like me to have something written down?
Brigandi: Yes—
Goodman: <Unclear Audio>
Brigandi: Just, just a few words. Yes, we could tape them —
Goodman: Uh-huh
Brigandi: —and use.
Goodman: I’ll tell you, if you do this, I’ll be glad to. Drop me a line —
Brigandi: Yes.
Goodman: — by mail.
Brigandi: Mhm
Goodman: You got my mail, don’t you?
Brigandi: Yes I do. Box four-two-three.
Goodman: <Unclear Audio> So drop a line reminding me of that, and the time.
Brigandi: Mhm.
Goodman: And any suggestion you would like me to use or make some reference to, I’ll be glad to.
Brigandi: Yes, we do have a theme, which I’m told was a Conference theme many years ago, but no one seems to remember how many.
Goodman: Well, well, I’ll try to work to it, if I can —
Brigandi: If you could —
Goodman: And… you just write it down.
Brigandi: Mhm.
Goodman: And send it to me when you can. And and get me by all means the date.
Brigandi: Oh, I certainly will.
Goodman: Yeah.
Brigandi: Then we can —
Goodman: That’s right.
Brigandi: Set the date to get —
Goodman: That’s right.
Brigandi: — together with you at your convenience.
Goodman: I’ll be glad to do it.
Brigandi: I… I really appreciate this —
Goodman: Thank you and —
Brigandi: — and it will really add to things.
Goodman: Best wishes to you, my Brother.
Brigandi: Good speaking with you, Dr. Goodman.
Goodman: Good to hear you, boy.
Brigandi: Mhm. Goodbye.
Goodman: Bye. Bye-bye.
Phil Brigandi (1959 – 2019) was a well-known historian, researcher, and scholar. His worked spanned many areas, including the City of Orange, Orange County, the Ramona Pageant, and Scouting.