The Pinecone

THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

The Christmases Jane Smith Hodge experienced as a child will most likely seem familiar to many. Jane was born in Munford, Tennessee, a small rural community, in 1939. Her father was a farmer; her mother, a stay-at-home mom. Mid-way her second grade, Jane’s family moved to Charleston, Mississippi where her father again farmed until he found employment as a machinist in a local factory. Jane was the oldest of four other girls in the family; two brothers serving as “bookends”. With so many children, Christmas was always a great occasion. This is how Jane describes her early Christmases: 

“We did not grow up with the elaborate Christmases that children have today and with six kids in the family, we ‘made do’ with what we had. Like in the story books, we went to the woods and cut down a tree that would fit on a table. Then, we would string popcorn and holly berries to decorate the tree. The star on top of the tree was made by Mother and covered in foil. Then, we covered the tree with icicles we purchased. While we were gone to find the tree, Mother stayed home to help Santa with the gifts. These were placed under the tree after we decorated it to wait until Christmas morning. If we were lucky and it snowed near Christmas, Mother always made ‘snow ice cream’ in a huge dishpan. Those memories are the favorites of my childhood.” 

The family remained in Charleston and thrived there. Jane says, “It was a wonderful place to raise a family, with good schools, churches and plenty to do.” The only “bad” thing Jane remembers happening was the time her brother accidentally chopped off the end of her finger while she was helping him at the “choppin” block. They had no car but a neighbor transported her to the doctor and the finger was successfully reattached. While in high school, Jane was on the basketball team which won the Delta Valley Championship. She also received awards including “Class Favorite”. 

Following graduation from high school in 1957, Jane worked a year to save money for college. She then enrolled in a one year secretarial course at Northwest Junior College. Because no jobs were available in Charleston, Jane moved to Memphis. She briefly worked for the American Red Cross but was soon employed by Bridgestone/Firestone. 

Shortly after coming to Memphis, Jane was introduced to Lee Hodge by a friend. They fell in love and were married in 1961. Lee was a brick mason and designed a beautiful herringbone pattern for the fireplace in one of their homes. She and Lee became the parents of three daughters and today there are nine grandchildren and eleven greats! Sadly, Lee passed away with dementia in 1998. 

While the children were small, Jane was a stay-at-home mom and served as PTA President of their school. Even so, Jane had twenty five years with Firestone, ten in Memphis and fifteen in a Chicago suburb. While there, she became Transportation Manager for a ten state area. 

In 2003, following her retirement, Jane moved back to Collierville to be close to her family. She became a member of a grief group sponsored by First Evangelical Church which is also involved with the Orange Mound District Youth Foundation. She remains an active member of Ridgeway Baptist Church and their Golden Agers Group. 

Jane says she “fell in love” with Kirby Pines after attending one of the Marketing luncheons. The continual care concept as well as the promise to take care of her in the event of financial problems, sold her. She moved to Kirby Pines in 2020. Jane says this about Kirby Pines: “I love it here. The grounds’ staff keep everything looking lovely. Plus, I feel very safe here and I especially enjoy my balcony. I never have to worry about cooking dinner or fixing anything in my apartment. The thing that I enjoy most is playing games with my friends.” 

Although she has had a busy life, Jane has managed to travel extensively, visiting all seven continents and forty-seven countries, some twice. Several of these trips have been made since moving to Kirby Pines. 

According to Jane, “Christmases now are a contrast to the ones of my earlier life. Actually, I have three Christmases. The first is my immediate family celebration on the night of December 23rd. We have dinner and open gifts. With three daughters, and their families, we have a large group, although not everyone is able to come every year because we are so scattered. The second Christmas is called ‘The Sisters’ Christmas Birthday’. With five sisters, we celebrate our birthdays in this manner: we go out to dinner, return and open gifts to each other. The third and final Christmas celebration is when the entire clan comes together on Christmas Day for a ‘pot-luck’ dinner. There are usually more desserts than regular food, but we always have the traditional turkey and ham. After the delicious meal, we play a game called ‘Dirty Santa’. Everyone brings a gift worth $20. The gift you pick may be taken away from you by someone else. All in good fun!” 

Jane wishes to thank all the people at Kirby Pines who have made her feel welcomed. She along with this writer wishes you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Wrtten by Joan Dodson, Resident, Kirby Pines

A LIFE OF SERVICE & TEACHING

During the month of November, one day is designated to honor the men and women who served in our Armed Forces. We are blessed and grateful every day for the freedom we enjoy because of their valiant service. One of the many Veterans living at Kirby Pines is John Travis Thornton. In addition to serving his country during war time, Travis devoted his professional life to teaching and leading in various educational positions.

A true Mississippian, Travis was born, educated and employed in Mississippi his entire life. The only exceptions are his service time and since his move to Kirby Pines in 2020. 

Born in Kosciusko, MS in 1933, Travis was the third child in the family with two older brothers. “We had good times and tough times together,” admits Travis. “I was constantly told, ’you’re not old enough-maybe next year’”. Travis says his early school years were uneventful. Because his father was retired from the Marine Corps, he learned geography from large maps his father posted on their walls outlining battle zones during the Second World War. During his junior and senior high school years, Travis played trombone in the band and had the male lead part in the school play “Smarty Pants”.

Following high school, Travis enrolled in pre-pharmacy courses in college. However, he changed his mind when he realized he was required to pass chemistry! He considered dropping out of college, but, the other option was to become part of the family dairy business. He decided to return to college and graduated in 1954 from Delta State University with a B.S. in Education (major: Math). 

Travis’ plan was to teach mathematics in high school. He knew it would be difficult to find a job because of the Korean War, as he was eligible to be drafted at any time. Rather than wait, Travis volunteered to have his name moved to the top of the draft list. He completed college on Friday and reported for induction into the Army on the following Monday. He was offered an opportunity to attend Officers Training School but elected to remain in basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. His advanced training was in Ordinance Supply Parts Identification. Expecting to be sent to Korea, Travis was fortunately assigned to Innsbruck, Austria. This assignment allowed him to see this beautiful country with the snow-capped mountains, a “far cry” from the landscape of Northern Mississippi! He was later transferred to the Technical Staff Office near Pisa, Italy and actually climbed the famous tower there. “It was leaning before I got there”, laughs Travis. Off duty time allowed him to visit many places in Europe while stationed there. Travis was often questioned about why his hometown’s name was of Polish origin. He says he always replied “With other Mississippi names like Hot Coffee, Possum Neck, and Why-Not, it was not that unusual!”

Following his discharge from the Army in 1956, Travis returned to his beloved Mississippi to start his teaching career. From several offers, he chose Leland, Mississippi. According to Travis, “Leland is the greatest small town I have ever known. The students, parents and school were a great experience.” During summers, Travis attended Mississippi College and graduated with a Masters in Administration (Guidance and Counseling) in 1960. Following graduation, he became a Counselor in a Junior High School in Greenville. It was here that a wise Principal helped Travis to create a firm education philosophy. That being, “We are not just educating future doctors, lawyers and engineers, but rather preparing the students to be good citizens.” His progression in jobs continued from Counseling to becoming Principal at various schools, eventually being offered the position of Dean of Student Affairs at Mississippi Delta Community College, a position he held for nineteen years. Of his time there, Travis says that a more appropriate job description for conducting student affairs for the 17 to 21 age group was “wildlife management”!

A position of Dean became available at a branch campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Natchez. Taking on this job had many challenges. There was low enrollment and classes were held in a vacant elementary school. During his six years there, Travis increased the enrollment by 400% and successfully managed to get a new academic building.

While Travis was teaching in Greenville, he fell in love with another teacher, Jenny Smith. They married in 1963 and nine years later, had their only child, Robert. Following his retirement from teaching at the Natchez campus, the family moved to Houston, Mississippi, Jenny’s hometown. Not to be idle, Travis had a wonderful experience helping with tours to parts of Mississippi, including beautiful Natchez. Travis and Jenny lived in Houston twenty-four years until her death in 2020. 

Following Jenny’s death, son Robert encouraged Travis to move to Memphis to be closer to him. After investigating several places, they chose Kirby Pines. “I moved here in July of 2020 to be free of most duties and responsibilities of keeping up a home,” says Travis. He has continued to be active, enjoying bridge, poker, exercise classes, the Poetry Club and walking his neighbor’s dog. He regularly attends the Sunday morning church services. “The most wonderful thing here at Kirby Pines”, says Travis, “is our library. Because of COVID restrictions when I moved in, it was vital to me in making the transition and to feel like Kirby Pines is now my home.” 

Wrtten by Joan Dodson, Resident, Kirby Pines