Veda Wells Hodge

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some stories start quiet and build slow, and the story of Veda Wells Hodge is exactly that kind. Born in Rising Star, Texas, the daughter of a pioneer Baptist minister.

You picture that upbringing, roots planted in faith and West Texas hard ground, and you start to understand how a woman like this gets her footing. She came up through a teaching career, shaping young minds the way her father had shaped congregations, and then she married J. Howard Hodge, a man the marker describes plainly as a Midland theatre and oil magnate.

Theatre and oil. That's a combination that'll get your attention in any county in this state. From that point forward, Veda Wells Hodge operated on a scale that most people never reach.

Howard Payne College claimed her as alumna, trustee, and benefactress, all three, which tells you she gave that institution her learning, her governance, and her treasure. She served as President of the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs from 1949 to 1951, and if you think that's where the story peaks, you'd be wrong. She went on to hold division chairmanships in the General Federation of Women's Clubs, an international organization.

International. From Rising Star, Texas. She sat on the Advisory Board of Japan International Christian University.

She served as a past member of the Advisory Group for the President's White House Committee for Traffic Safety. A leader in West Texas civic life, the marker says, and by that point you've got the evidence to agree. In 1967, she was honored in the Outstanding Women of Texas Series.

The marker stands in Brown County, and it stands for good reason. Some people's lives just refuse to stay small.

What the marker says

Alumna, trustee, benefactress of Howard Payne College. Born in Rising Star; daughter of a pioneer Baptist minister. Had teaching career before her marriage to J. Howard Hodge, a Midland theatre and oil magnate. President, Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, 1949-1951. Has held division chairmanships, General Federation of Women's Clubs, an international organization. Member of the Advisory Board, Japan International Christian University. Past member, Advisory Group, President's White House Committee for Traffic Safety. A leader in West Texas civic life. Outstanding Women of Texas Series, 1967.