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By Art Powers
Publisher
Johnson City Press
He was a wonderful family man. His son Kevin said he was always there for them, at ball games, family outings teaching his kids how to water ski, and doing the Dad thing.
He loved sports, and it was said that he sometimes would have on three television sets watching several games at once. He was a Sunday school teacher for more than 30 years at First United Methodist Church. His pastor said sometimes they even tolerated his singing in the choir.
He was one of Johnson City’s favorite community servants. The organizations he served have been delineated in many stories about him. I suppose his favorites were the United Way, the Salvation Army and the Washington County board of directors of Mountain States Health Alliance. Of course, there were many more.
Who was he? A father, a servant and a writer to his many readers of the Johnson City Press. He was Tom Hodge, the editorial director, who offered up his daily doses of humor, wit, wisdom and stories about his family and friends in the column he wrote for years and years. Tom was stricken doing what he loved doing, volunteering his time for the Kiwanis Club taking tickets at Bristol Motor Speedway.
His family and I have discussed some way to chronicle his musings in a book, and perhaps we’ll be able to make it happen in the coming months. One can imagine just how long it would take to pore over his numerous columns in order to select favorites to compile into a book.
As you expect, Tom’s left a huge hole in the newspaper. I’ve received e-mails, letters and phone calls from many of you wanting to know what we’re going to do to replace him.
Well, we can’t replace him. Tom did so much for us we really have a struggle on our hands to make things whole again. Tom even opened the mail here. He just loved to go through it all and parcel it out to newsroom mailboxes. He was curious like that.
Replace him, no. Sure, we’ll find a dedicated writer to grind out our daily editorials and a column or two a week, but we won’t replace him. In this process, we’ll try to find someone who is knowledgeable of our area, someone who can assess certain situations and offer up opinions as Tom did.
Replace him, no. But we can remember him. To keep his memory alive, the Johnson City Press is proud to announce the creation of a journalism scholarship at Milligan College. I’ve spoken with President Don Jeanes, and the college is happy his name will be given to the Johnson City Press-Tom Hodge Scholarship.
The Press has started the funding, but at the request of many community individuals, you may participate. Already I’ve heard from Alice Torbett and Louis Gump, who want to send their memorials in this direction.
Jeanes said all you have to do is forward your gift to Milligan College, Johnson City Press-Tom Hodge Scholarship, P.O. Box 189, Milligan College, TN 37682. Given many of you choose to do likewise, the effort could turn into an endowed scholarship. Annually, the monies will be shared with a worthy student who preferably will seek a career in newspaper journalism and has financial need.
The college will alert Tom’s family with each gift received.
Replace him, no. But I’ll never forget my friend Tom.