Congratulations, 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees:
Kathryn Masimore Hodge – Class of 1935
Thomas Clifford Hodge – Class of 1937
Dr. Jay Harold Anderson – Class of 1951
Dr. Larry Erickson – Class of 1956
Justine Morton – Class of 1970
Nor Rae Merkel Spohn – Class of 1976
Kathryn Masimore Hodge, Class of 1935, and Thomas Clifford Hodge, Class of 1937, were South Des Moines residents prior to moving east. Clifford worked at Nutall Drug, and Kathryn worked at the Merchants Messenger. They owned a 1941 Taylorcraft airplane and both had a private pilot’s license. Clifford moved to Virginia in March, 1942, and worked for the U. S. Army at Fort Eustis. Kathryn joined him in March, 1943, and was employed at the Newport News Port of Embarkation, preparing troops for overseas shipping. Clifford taught army officers on the use of the M-5 gun director. He also served 10 weeks at the Franklin Arsenal in Philadelphia. He then went to work at Langley Field, Virginia, for the organization now known as NASA. Clifford opened the Modern Watch Repair Shop with customers at NASA, NC, Hampton, Virginia, and Ft. Monroe, Virginia. Kathryn transferred to NASA when the Port of Embarkation closed at war’s end. The Hodges opened the Modern Machine and Tool Company in Newport News in 1947. Their first job was to make little pivots for NASA which NASA was unable to obtain elsewhere. The business grew rapidly and was enlarged three times. The Hodges built the first building in the Oyster Point area, and at the 50th Anniversary of Modern Machine and Tool, the Mayor of Newport News credited them with the development of the Oyster Point area. Clifford Hodge passed away in 1991. After his death, Kathryn commissioned a complete Wedding Chapel, which bears her husband’s name, to the Hilton Baptist Church. Richard (Class of 1944) and Helen Masimore accepted the Hall of Fame induction honor on behalf of Kathryn. We are sorry to report that Kathryn passed away July 11, 2008.
Dr. Jay Harold Anderson, Class of 1951, graduated from University of Iowa with both a BA and MD. He was in the Air Force his last two years of medical school. To pay back the Air Force, he had internship at Valley Forge Army Hospital and then did general practice for four years. Jay practiced both Pathology and Nuclear Medicine in Tucson, Arizona. He passed the Pathology Boards in 1967. The Nuclear Medicine Boards were founded in 1972, and Jay passed them in 1973. In 1979 Jay left private practice and joined the Army, his first assignment in the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Letterman Hospital, San Francisco, and then the Academy of Health Sciences, San Antonio, Texas, where he worked on a Master of Health Administration. He received the degree in 1982 and went to Korea for two years to command a small clinic. He was Deputy Commander of the hospital at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Medical Staff Officer at Health Services Command in San Antonio, and in 1988 became the Chief of Nuclear Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. He retired from the Army in 1993.
Dr. Larry Erickson, Class of 1956, graduated from the University of Iowa with honors and a 4.0 grade point, receiving a BA in 1959, and his M.D. in 1963. He moved to Portland, Oregon, to do a rotating internship at Emanuel Hospital. In 1964, he was inducted into the Air Force and served two years in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. In 1966-69 he did an Air Force sponsored residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Iowa. He became the Chief of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, Ca., where he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. He left the Air Force and moved to Modesto and has been in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sutter Gould Medical Foundation for 34 years. He has been active in his local medical society, and is currently Chief of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Memorial North Hospitals Association. Since entering practice, Larry has delivered over 8,000 babies! Sharon Erickson Rooney, Larry’s sister, accepted on his behalf.
Justine Morton, Class of 1970, is the owner and principal consultant for Morton Consulting, which specializes in human resource management consulting, training, employee relations, labor relations and recruitment. She has worked for or been associated with: Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, the Des Moines Register, City of Des Moines and Drake University. Her involvement in the Des Moines community involves service on numerous volunteer and human service boards. Justine was elected President of the Junior League in 1987 and currently serves on the State Board of Health, American Red Cross Human Resources Committee, and other community groups. She was featured in a March, 2006, article in the Register during Women’s History Month.
Nor Rae Merkel Spohn, Class of 1976, studied computer science and math at Iowa State University, graduating in 1980. After joining the Hewlitt Packard Corporation in Boise, Idaho, she went on to receive her Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Returning to Boise, she became the research and development manager for the personal LaserJet division, developing the HP3100 and 1100A, the printers that made LaserJet affordable. In 2007 Nor Rae was honored by being inducted into the International Women in Technology Hall of Fame, a professional organization that focuses on increasing the number of women who enter the technology field. Nor Rae now serves as the senior vice president in charge of the LaserJet printer division in Boise and serves as mentor for women entering the science fields.
