Thomas Lawson Hodges III ’50

Thomas Lawson Hodges III ’50, 85, of Thomasville, N.C., died July 4, 2012, with his family at his side. Born in Danville, Va., on May 21, 1927, to Lawson and Julia Hodges, Hodges had lived in Thomasville since 1963 when he accepted a management position with Thomasville Furniture Industries. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Thomasville for 49 years, serving first as a deacon and later as an elder. He was a former member of the Mayodan-Washington Mills YMCA, including the YMCA’s traveling basketball team, following college. In recent years he had become very active again as a YMCA participant until his health declined several months ago. His church family and Y family were extremely special to him. Hodges excelled in high school at Homestead High School in Florida. Among his achievements, he was a champion debater, all state band selection, and a starting guard on his state championship basketball team. Hodges received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Davidson College in 1950, where he was a member of the varsity basketball team. Further education included a master’s of business administration from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He spent 22 years in private industry before becoming a college professor in accounting at Davidson County Community College in 1972, retiring in 2003. He also served as an adjunct professor at High Point University, Catawba College, and Greensboro College; and was a non-practicing certified public accountant. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, John R. Hodges, and his beloved wife of 54 years, Jo Alice Joyce Hodges, who passed away in 2008. He is survived by his son, Thomas Lawson Hodges IV (Crystal), 117 Kathland Ave., Thomasville, NC 27360-2612; granddaughter, Addison; grandson, Lawson; and soon-to-be grandson-in-law, Stephen Garlick. He loved each one of them dearly.