Veda Wells Hodge

Her largest work was for Howard Payne, where she joined the board of trustees in 1940 and stayed until her death. As president of the board she was the first woman to lead a college board owned by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and the school gave her an honorary doctorate in 1960. A women's dormitory carries her name. Beyond the campus she led the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs in the early 1950s, once received a 1951 telegram from Senator Lyndon Johnson about the Korean War, and died in Midland in May 1978.

What the plaque says

Veda Wells Hodge 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.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lake Brownwood State Park — 10.0 mi
  A CCC park on a reservoir that filled in a single flood before its dam was done, with stone cabins, a hilltop dance pavilion and a grand staircase climbed by dancers arriving by boat.

More markers nearby

• Howard Payne University — steps away
• The Rev. Dr. John David Robnett — steps away
• The Rev. Noah Turner Byars — steps away
• Brooke Smith — 0.4 mi