Oakwood’s Winnie Hodges, a woman to be reckoned with

Winnie Hodges has served on the Oakwood I.S.D. school board since 2001. She is pictured here with fellow board member Terry Johnson. Photo by Melissa Missildine Now, when Mrs. Winnie Hodges tells you something needs to be done, you do not question it, you just do it. When she has on her no nonsense, get it done persona, she is a woman to be reckoned with. You've probably heard people say, we need to send a woman to the White house to straighten out the mess men have made of it. I have no doubt that if we sent Mrs. Winnie, she'd have them all lined out so fast their heads would swim.

That being said, you will not ever meet a kinder, more generous woman either. She is as big hearted as all of Texas and has a smile to match. If you need something done or need to know how to get it done, you call Mrs. Winnie. She'll do anything to help out a friend...and she's never met a stranger.

Born August 27, 1927 in Flynn, Texas, Winnie Wilson lived there until her junior year. She and her family moved to San Antonio where she finished high school. She and her family moved back to Leon County shortly after her graduation.

Once back "home" she became reacquainted with Adolph Hodges. They fell in love and were married November 1, 1947.

During their marriage, they had two sons, three grandsons, four grand daughters, and six great-grandsons. She just got a new greatgrandson last week. Adolph worked at Greer Brothers Chevy Dealership in Oakwood; what is now Neel's Chevrolet. Winnie worked at several of the local grocery stores.

One day, Mr. R. Wiley, Sr. approached Winnie and offered her a job at the bank. She wasn't sure about it at first but decided to give it a shot. She worked at the Oakwood State Bank from 1953- 1958 until Wiley, Sr. died. Mrs. Wiley took over the day to day operations of the bank. Winnie stayed on. Mrs. Wiley passed in 1961 and R. Wiley, Jr. took over. Winnie worked for him until 1990 when she decided she needed to retire to take care of her ailing husband. Adolph passed away in December of 1997, just a month after they celebrated a wonderful 50 years of marriage.

It wasn't long before Winnie became restless. She just could not sit at home, and came out of retirement. She agreed to work part time at the bank and still does. That's not all she's up to though. In 2001, Oakwood I.S.D.'s superintendent, Mr. Durham, called Winnie up to ask her if he could appoint her to the school board to cover a vacancy. Her husband had served on the school board, and she thought, "If he can do it, so can I." Winnie served that term and has run for a few more. Not that it is official yet (she is making them squirm a little) she has assured me that she will be running again in this May's election. She said she will continue to run as long as the school needs her. She said she's worried about the school. She's afraid that we might lose the school. According to her, "If a community loses it's school, it will die." You'll find Winnie at the school showing her support at just about all the events be it academic, sports related, or just for fun.

Winnie has been a member of the Oakwood EE Club for about four years now. She has served as treasurer and loves what the club stands for. Winnie is behind anything that involves education. She is also the treasurer and does the memorials for the Oakwood Cemetery. She says she really loves doing the memorials. Winnie has been an active member of the Memorial Baptist Church of Oakwood since 1948. She has served as treasurer and taught Sunday school in years past.

These days, Winnie stays busy with her friends and family, working at the bank, working with the cemetery group, working with the EE club, going to church, and spending time with Patches, her adorable miniature poodle.