"John-Edward-Hodge" {October 12,1914-January 3,1996}

He was the son of Anna Belle Jackson & John Alfred Hodge.His active mind found

certain games and sports to be challenge.He won a number of model airplanes contests in Kansas City.He became an expert at billiards in college,and later  in Peoria.Chess was another fascination for John,his daddy,and his son,John Laurent.He graduated from Summer High School in 1932 and got his A.B. degree in 1936.John received his M.A. in 1940 from the University of Kansas where he was elected to the Pl-ii Beta Kappa scholastic society and the Pi Mu Epsilon honorary mathematics organization.He did his postgraduate studies at Bradley University between 1946 & 1960 and received a diploma from the Federal Executive Institute,Charlottesville,Virginia.


John career began as an oil chemist in Topeka, Kansas at the Department of Inspections.He was also a professor of chemistry at Western University,Quindaro,Kansas.In 1941 he began nearly 40 years of service at the USDA Nonhem Regional Research Center in Peoria Illinois;where he retired in 1980.During that time (1972) he was visiting professor of chemistry at the University of Campinas,Sao Paulo,Brazil.He also receive a Superior Service Award at Washington,D.C.,from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1953,and two research awards also.He was chairman of the Division of Carbohydrate Chemistry in 1964,and was an adjunct chemistry professor at Bradley University in 1984-85.


John encouraged young African American college students to study chemistry.He made tours of historically African American colleges in the South to assess their laboratory capabilities,and recruited summer interns for for research experiences.John  was on the board of directors of Carver Community center from 1952 to 1958.In 1953 he was secretary of the Citizens Committee for Peoria Public Schools;as well  as secretary for the Mayor's Commission for Senior Citizen.1982-85.John was an advisory board member at the Central Illinois Agency in 1975.