Goodliffe was nurtured in Mormon culture permeates the small communities of Rexburg, Idaho and Ogden, Utah. After completing a military tour of duty, he began his academic objectives. He was awarded a PhD in History from the University of Idaho, based on his studies in intellectual history and a dissertation concerning Frontier Religion: Mormons and their Dissenters. Since then he has been teaching courses for the Community College of Denver, Regis College, Colorado State University.