In Memory of Edith M. Hodgson

"In 1949, Dr. Percy Hodgson was elected as the President of Rotary International (for1949-1950). The first Rotary President to visit Germany and Japan after World War II, he took upon himself the mission to visit as many clubs as possible throughout the world. He and his wife, Edith, Class of 1916, also known as "First Lady" of Rotary International, embarked upon an extensive year of traveling which took them to a number of countries in the Eastern hemisphere, Japan and China, South and Central America, Mid-East, Asia, Far East, Europe, Canada, and the United States of America.

To bring the message of Rotary, the Hodgsons traveled over 200,000 miles to seventy-nine countries, through earthquakes, typhoons, and a desert sand storm. They met with over 341,00 Rotarians.

Dr. and Mrs. Hodgson were lovingly bestowed with gifts in appreciation of their visits and of their dedication to the ideals of Rotary. They cherished these gifts and later donated some of these pieces to Bryant College. The articles selected for the College are representative of the distinctive craftsmanship of their country of origin."

[author of above unknown]

In November 1977, Edith Hodgson passed away. On June 24, 1978 the Bryant Library which previously existed in the Unistructure, was formally dedicated to the memory of Edith M. Hodgson and this library became known as the Edith M. Hodgson Memorial Library. Dr. William T. O'Hara, President of Bryant during this time, stated "it is with great pride that we name our library in honor of Edith Hodgson. Her lively involvement in the business of human relations and her never ending impact on people the world over will remain a source of inspiration to all of us."

Edith had been very active in community affairs in the Blackstone Valley. She had been a member of the Executive Board and secretary of the Visiting Nurse Service of Pawtucket and the Blackstone Valley for 38 years. She also served with the Episcopal Church Women and the Pawtucket Memorial Hospital Club and was known for her work with Girl Scouts and Brownies. She also had been cited at a Rotary Club meeting for "her significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations between peoples of the world."

Although the Edith M. Hodgson Memorial Library no longer exists the artifacts that Percy and Edith collected still do and these are on display on the upper level of the Douglas and Judith Krupp Library. In addition, Dr. Percy Hodgson's gift of $250,000 in 1978 continues to fund library resources on an annual basis.