Born on August 16, 1920, in Clifton, New Jersey, Paul A. Godwin was the son of Leila Frances Gatter Godwin and Paul Stilson Godwin. He had two siblings: Richard Philip Godwin of San Francisco and Ruth Leila Godwin Travers of Plantation, Florida. On December 18, 1943, he married Virginia Ruth Parker in New Britain, Connecticut. They had five children: Paul Stilson Godwin II, Virginia Lee Godwin Bluis, April Ann Godwin Shuman, Arthur Parker Godwin, and Richard Eaton Godwin. He was also a grandfather to 14 and a great-grandfather to 17.

Godwin's education began in Clifton and continued through various schools in New Britain, Connecticut, where he graduated from New Britain Senior High in 1939. He attended the University of Connecticut from 1941 to 1943 and again from 1946 to 1948, earning a Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction in Entomology. He later pursued graduate work in invertebrate physiology from 1960 to 1961.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in August 1942 and was called to active duty in March 1943. After completing basic training and specialized schools, he served in various roles and locations, including Guam, before being honorably discharged on December 4, 1945.

Godwin’s career in entomology spanned several decades. He began as an inspector at New Britain Machine Company, then worked as a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Insect Investigations and Forest Service. His notable positions included Project Leader and Chief of Laboratory at the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. He retired in 1984 as Principal Insect Physiologist at the Forest Insect & Disease Laboratory.

Throughout his career, Godwin published extensively on entomology, with numerous articles in scientific journals and contributions to forest pest management literature. He was involved in various ongoing studies, including research on insect guilds associated with Lymantria dispar and insects in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He also held a five-year appointment as a Curatorial Affiliate at the Yale University Peabody Museum of Natural History and participated in various Elderhostel programs focused on history and natural sciences.

‍

Publications:

• Bean, J. L. & Godwin, P. A. (1955). Description and bionomics of a new red pine scale, Matsucoccus resinosae. Forest Sci., 1: 164-176.
• Godwin, P. A. (1956). An insect trap. USDA, ARS-33-22. 4pp., illus.
• Godwin, P. A. & Bean, J. L. (1956). Predicting emergence of the white-pine weevil from hibernation. Forest Sci., 1: 187-189.
• Godwin, P. A., Jaynes, H. A. & Davis, J. M. (1957). The dispersion of radioactively tagged white-pine weevil in small plantations. J. Econ. Entomol., 50: 264-266.
• Jaynes, H. A. & Godwin, P. A. (1957). Sterilization of the white-pine weevil with gamma radiation. J. Econ. Entomol., 50: 393-395.
• Godwin, P. A., Rule, H. D. & Waters, W. E. (1964). Some effects of gamma radiation irradiation on the gypsy moth, Porthetria dispar. J. Econ. Entomol., 57: 986-990.
• ODell, T. M. & Godwin, P. A. (1964). White-pine cone beetle. USDA Forest Service, Forest Pest Leaflet 83. 7pp., illus.
• Rule, H. D., Godwin, P. A. & Waters, W. E. (1965). Irradiation effects on spermatogenesis in the gypsy moth, Porthetria dispar (L.). J. Insect Physiol., 11: 369-378.
• Godwin, P. A. & ODell, T. M. (1965). The life history of the white-pine cone beetle, Conophthorus coniperda. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer., 58: 213-219.
• Godwin, P. A. & ODell, T. M. (1967). Experimental hybridization of Pissodes strobi and P. approximatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer., 60: 55-58.
• Godwin, P. A. & Reeks, W. A. (1967). White-pine weevil, Pissodes strobi (Peck). In Important forest insects and diseases of mutual concern to Canada, the United States and Mexico, A. G. Davidson & R. M. Prentice (Eds.), Department of Forestry and Rural Development, Ottawa, Canada.
• Finnegan, R. J. & Godwin, P. A. (1967). The Northern pine weevil Pissodes approximatus (Hopk.). In Important forest insects and diseases of mutual concern to Canada, the United States and Mexico, A. G. Davidson & R. M. Prentice (Eds.), Department of Forestry and Rural Development, Ottawa, Canada.
• Godwin, P. A. (1969). Gypsy Moth. Forest Pest Leaflet 41 (Revised). USDA Forest Service.
• Bean, J. L. & Godwin, P. A. (1969). Red pine scale. Forest Pest Leaflet 10 (Revised). USDA Forest Service.
• Hastings, R. A. & Godwin, P. A. (1969). White-pine weevil. Forest Pest Leaflet 21 (Revised). USDA Forest Service.
• ODell, T. M., Godwin, P. A. & White, W. B. (1974). Radiographing pupae of tachinid parasites of the gypsy moth and application in parasite-release programs. USDA Forest Service Research Note NE-194.
• Godwin, P. A. & ODell, T. M. (1977). Alternate hosts of Blepharipa pratensis (Meigen). USDA Forest Service Research Note NE-245.
• Doskotch, R. W., ODell, T. M. & Godwin, P. A. (1977). Feeding response of gypsy moth larvae, Lymantria dispar, to extracts of plant leaves. Environmental Entomol., 6: 563-566.
• ODell, T. M. & Godwin, P. A. (1979). Attack behavior of Parasetigena silvestris in relation to host density and behavior. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer., 72: 281-286.
• ODell, T. M. & Godwin, P. A. (1979). Laboratory techniques for rearing Blepharipa pratensis, a tachinid parasite of the gypsy moth. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer., 72: 632-635.
• Whitney, E. G. & Godwin, P. A. (1979). Changes in the gross morphology of the central nerve cord during metamorphosis of the white-pine weevil Pissodes strobi (Peck) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Int. J. Insect Morphol. & Embryol., 8: 229-236.
• Godwin, P. A. & ODell, T. M. (1979). A laboratory study of the interaction of two parasites of Lymantria dispar [Lep.: Lymantriidae]: Blepharipa pratensis [Dip.: Tachinidae] and Brachymeria intermedia [Hym.: Chalcididae]. Entomophaga, 24: 185-190.
• Godwin, P. A. & ODell, T. M. (1981). Parasites, Intensive laboratory and field evaluation of individual species: Blepharipa pratensis (Meigen) (Diptera: Tachinidae). In The gypsy moth: Research toward integrated pest management, C. C. Doane & M. L. McManus (Eds.), 757 pp., illus.
• Godwin, P. A., Valentine, H. T. & ODell, T. M. (1982). Identification of Pissodes strobi, P. approximatus, and P. nemorensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), using discriminant analysis. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer., 75: 599-604.
• Godwin, P. A., Valentine, H. T. & ODell, T. M. (1982). Identifying pine bark weevils by discriminant analysis. BioSci., 33: 198.
• Godwin, P. A. & Shields, K. S. (1982). Some interactions of Serratia marcescens nucleopolyhedrosis virus and *Blepharipa