Passing of a Legend
Since getting my start writing for VFTS, I’ve encountered many topics that have challenged my mettle as a communicator and writer. I’ve enjoyed being given the opportunity to write about something I’m passionate about; HBCU marching bands. I’ve been blessed to meet some quality people during my travels and writing. Many of them have been people of incredible talent, quality, discipline and integrity. Among those people, there are few that I would consider myself in ‘awe’of. The man conducting in the picture above, is one of those people. Dr. Johnny B. Hodge Jr. spent the great part of his life doing what he loved to do; Pursuing and teaching music.
Marching band was the medium that many of us knew him best by; From his arrival at North Carolina A&T in 1980, he set upon the task of creating a band program that reflected his own deep reserve of passion and drive. the “Small Band with a Big Sound” was Dr. Hodge’s philosophy,passion, and musical fury condensed into a group of battle tested-students and unleashed onto unsuspecting rivals and fanbases on any given Saturday afternoon. Any band (or single person) that was on the receiving end of the heat coming from Hodge’s horns knew that the man meant business when it came to his craft. Many a program would pay the price of underestimating what the man (and the band crafted in his image) could and would do on a gameday. As impressive as his legacy on the field has been, his reach has been felt infinitely more off of it. Doc was from an era where excuses could and would kill you; where lack of focus and fortitude could forever condemn you to the bottom rung of the social pecking order. Some of the lessons he learned growing up in the Jim Crow south he readily applied to his students, effectively shaping and molding bright minds in the process.That was his ultimate gift to the students he taught, and the school he served.
His standards were high; He required your best…If you DIDN’T give your best, he’d let you know about it in a vernacular that you wouldn’t forget. He’d hold you accountable. In doing so, he taught an entire generation of students how to be solid men and women. He exemplified what so often OUR children miss out on. He was a role model. He was a man that CHOSE to pass on the lessons of his life to give the next generation a fighting chance at success in anything that they pursue.Music was his medium to that end.
I could spend all day lauding the things Dr. Hodge has accomplished. Ultimately, all you have to do is look at the people he’s touched and impacted through his service. Ask THEM what he means in their life’s framework. Talk to the people that saw his passion and love for music first hand. Talk to that kid that smoked and chewed out for not paying attention to his music. I have the feeling that their sentiments would mirror some of the thoughts I’ve written here.
At the end of his journey, Dr.Hodge was Dr. Hodge; He was an ordinary man that accomplished extraordinary things through passion, guts, discipline, and hard work. He then took those attributes and made it his life’s work to pass those things on to those that were under his baton. That Blue & Gold uniform (and the students, past and present, that wear it) IS his legacy. It’s HIS legend; It’s something that will be here for a LONG time; It’s a legacy that the Hodge family can wear with love and pride. It’s a legacy WE ALL can wear with love and pride.
Thank you for your Passion, Love, and Service, Dr. Hodge…We won’t forget the Lesson…Rest Well.