In his students' words

He is the most innovative teacher I ever had. – Henri Pensis I was fortunate to have David Hodge as my art teacher during part of elementary school and all of junior high. While I have family members who are professional artists, the art gene skipped me (fortunately I inherited the science gene.) Given my deficits in artistic ability, art class had the potential for significant angst. Mr. Hodge imparted his sense of joy to all artistic endeavors, and he believed that everyone could express themselves through art. He had many strategies for discovering the artist in each of us. I never became very good at drawing, but I learned a lot about color and composition. I began to appreciate and enjoy art. In college I majored in the sciences, but also minored in art history and I developed a life-long interest in various forms of artistic expression.Thank you, Mr. Hodge, for passion you shared for art, and the advocacy you showed for your students. We were very lucky to have you as our teacher. – Beth Conover I reached the pinnacle of my artistic abilities in the fifth grade. I have NO artistic talent, but Mr. Hodge managed to bring some out of me. I will never forget the slides of all of those water towers and other urban views. An outstanding teacher. – Maris Veidemanis Mr. Hodge made it a point to have students engage in the activity of making art. Even those of us with less natural aptitude and fine motor skills were able to expand our visual horizons through projects that didn't focus on something being right or wrong -- good or bad. Later in life, we all learned the term "found art," but with Mr. Hodge, the art room itself was filled with images and ingredients for self-expression. – Peter Wallace Mr. Hodge is a wonderfully talented artist. He was my art teacher for several years in Elementary and Middle School. He had a great way of nurturing a person to express themself in their own style. He created a hard working environment amid fun and play. With his positive energy, he always made things look easy and offered great suggestions to help improve an art project. He engaged students in the content and was enthusiastic about his area of expertise. Mr. Hodge had influence on me being the teacher that I am today! –Wendy Halle Carlson Ode to David Hodge On this most well-deserved occasion, I am honored to participate in paying homage to one of the most influential persons in my life. While I was not around for the Campus School years at UW-Oshkosh, the opportunity to work with the Art Department set my life on a positive trajectory. I started my undergraduate program in 1981 and ended up changing my major twice before landing in a seminar about becoming an art educator. It was as if the proverbial light bulb went off in my head that I had to connect to this department. The first time I met Professor Hodge was in the methods class being held in Swart Hall on the second floor. It was obvious that he lived to educate and engage his students. His caring mannerisms and quiet, subtle demeanor made all of us feel protected and willing to risk our projects and presentations without fear of failure. We learned how to evaluate, adjust and adapt for different grade levels and abilities. There were quite a few good laughs along the way. When David taught, it felt like there was true guidance and honesty in his critiques that was there to help us become more authentic in our own lives. As a non-traditional student, I did throw him a curve one day. I was about eight months pregnant and climbing a ladder in A/C S211 to hang an art piece. He was so worried that I might be unsteady and fall, that his face went totally pallid. Everything was fine, but I was banned from any more ladders for the rest of that semester. When I retired from the Oshkosh system in 2012, I had the fall semester off and then, luckily, was asked to join the UW-O Art Department. Ad hoc, David had retired but was still teaching a section. It was a joyous day that I got to work as a colleague with my mentor. For a few years, we shared the same room in which I almost gave him a heart attack. Watching him teach, he still had the gift of instilling autonomy and confidence in his students. His wit and genuine caring nature still inspire me to teach in a way that would make him proud. –Tish Kopish, UW-O Class of 1986