Gertrude Goss was born on May 29, 1897 in Malden, MA to Willis C. and Anna Mabel (Parker) Goss. She was educated at the Abbot Academy in Andover, and went on to graduate from the Boston Bouve School of Physical Education at Northeastern University in 1919. Following her graduation, Goss taught in the Physical Education departments at a number of schools, including Winthrop College in South Carolina (1919-1921), Lake Erie College in Ohio (1921-1923), the Fermata School in South Carolina (1923-1924), and at Northwestern University in Illinois (1924-1925). In 1925, Goss joined the faculty at Smith College as an Associate Professor of Health, Physical Education, Hygiene and Recreation. In 1930, she began chaperoning trips to Bermuda and to Europe for students, and continued this tradition until her retirement. She introduced American Red Cross swimming lessons to Smith in 1933, and in 1935 published her first work entitled "Swimming Analysed"-a collection of instruction and methods in swimming, diving, and stunts for beginner through advanced skill levels. Over the next many years, Goss received a number of recognitions (honorary member of Northeast Sectional Field Hockey Association in 1939) and authored various articles regarding aquatics, including "The Water Show: Fun For Swimmer and Audience" in 1950. After almost 30 years of service on the Smith Faculty as a professor emeritus, tennis and hockey coach, and creator of the Smith College Lifeguards, Goss retired in 1952. After her work at Smith, she went on to contribute to the community by teaching swimming lessons at the YWCA in Boston (1956). In 1957, she began teaching again at Jackson College of Tufts Co-educational College in Medford, MA. Goss was active in many organizations in her lifetime, including the Committee on Standards for Good Swimming and Water Safety of the Conference of National Cooperation in Aquatics, the Women's National Aquatic Forum, and the National Umpires Association. She also continued her work at the YWCA, and in 1969 began a swimming class for the physically handicapped at the YMCA in Melrose, which grew in popularity until 1977 when she retired. She moved into the Levi Gould Retirement Home and died there in 1980 at the age of 83.