Payson High School has a Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame where we recognize PHS graduates who make an outstanding contribution to the community and the world. At the opening night of the PHS production of Moana Jr., we inducted the famed Hollywood Set Designer Daryn-Reid Goodall as a Distinguished Alumni.
He graduated from Payson High School in 1977, then studied Theatre Arts at Utah State University. He loved acting, but found that his strength was in set design. He had a great eye for detail and knew how to tell a story through set dressing. He was not afraid to think outside the box. "What's the fun of being in a box!?" he would say.
He was nominated for the Emmy Award (the highest award for excellence in television) a total of nine (9) times in the category of Outstanding Art Direction for his work on MADtv. He was not only proud of his set design work on the All New Mickey Mouse Club, but was also a friend and positive influence on the young stars. He decorated the sets of many TV shows, movies and the Los Angeles Theatre Center. His work included many popular programs like the All New Mickey Mouse Club, Blue Collar TV, Foxworthy’s Big Night Out, Castle, Good Luck Charlie, and Girl Meets World. His complete filmography can be viewed on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Daryn-Reid was a mentor to many young people starting out in the set decorating field. He was instrumental in developing the Set Design program and taught at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles (FIDM-LA). He was a driving force within the Set Decorators’ Society of America, having served as President and Chairman of the Board among other leadership roles. He loved his family, his friends, work, Hollywood, and life. He passed away in 2021. The Daryn-Reid Goodall Memorial Scholarship honors his life and legacy with an award to a PHS student who will study theatre arts or music in college.
A plaque of Daryn-Reid is hanging in our distinguished alumni hall of fame near the front office and his profile is one our website. (We encourage you to visit the plaques or the website to read about him and the other amazing Alumni there.)