Bobby “Bob” Gooch is a well-known figure in the Bulldog athletics community.

He died in February 2025, leaving behind a legacy of promoting education and supporting student-athletes. For decades, his name has been synonymous with wrestling, but Gooch was also an educator. The Audrain County Historical Society dedicated its new research room to him in honor of that part of his life on Sept. 19. 

The Bob Gooch Research Room is located in the Audrain Historical Museum next to the library in Executive Director Jennifer Prior’s former office. 

Prior said the project began because she wanted guests to have better lighting, privacy and quiet while they do research or reminisce. The room will also be available to host private meetings for small groups. Museum employees helped transform the room while Sam Douglas and his son, Jacob, volunteered to paint the room.

Part of the room features Civil War memorabilia and other donations made to the museum by Dr. John and Becky Hagan and Dr. Warren and Lisa Hagan. The rest is dedicated to all of Mexico’s high schools throughout the city’s history including St. Brendan, Garfield, and Mexico high schools. 

“We will have the full collection of all the Mexico High School Yearbooks in there,” she said. 

While it can’t all fit in the research room, the museum has records dating as far back as 1836 when Audrain County was founded that are available to view in the research room. 

“We have files on a lot of the history of Audrain County and Mexico, which includes the things we were known for,” Prior said. “At one time, we had 16 different firebrick refractories in our county. At one time, we had 100 one-room school houses in Audrain County and we have information on all of those as well.”

The collection also includes cemetery records, photos, plat maps and some family histories.

Gooch’s family, including his wife, Annabelle, and their sons, Tim and Randy, donated money to support the project, but Annabelle said she can’t take the credit.

“The credit goes to the historical society and Jennifer’s vision and leadership,” Annabelle said. 

She added that the credit also goes to the Charity Bridge club for their donation to the Audrain County Historical Society in Bob Gooch’s name. 

Annabelle and Bob were married for 64 years and she said her husband’s involvement as a teacher and coach was very important. 

“Bob believed in every student-athlete,” she said. “He wanted sports to be a part of their life and he watched each day of it so they could have success and a happy life.”

The Marceline native attended the University of Missouri where he received his Bachelor of Science and Education and Masters of Education. His coaching career began in 1959 at Central Methodist College. 

He then served in the Mexico School District as a teacher, coach, athletic director and administrative assistant over his 28-year tenure. Upon his retirement in 1988, Gooch’s prolific career as a wrestling coach at Mexico High School was forever memorialized as the school named its only gym at the time “Bob Gooch Gymnasium.”

“He wanted to be sure that sports was a part of the total education program of a student athlete,” Annabelle said.

Access to the research room will cost $5. Prior added that it is also included in regular tour prices, which are $10 for anyone over the age of 12, $5 for children between 4 and 12 years old and children younger than 4 years old are free.