Joseph Davis Hodsden Jr, age 72, passed away at his home peacefully on Saturday, October 3, 2015. He died of complications of melanoma cancer which he had been fighting for over eight years. He is survived by his wife Tamara Norton Hodsden, children: Joseph Carey Hodsden (1968) and Christina Li Hodsden Darveau (1975). Davis was the son of Joseph Davis Hodsden Sr. and Theresa Brinkley Hodsden of Portsmouth, VA; he had two siblings. His ancestors were early settlers in Smithfield, VA and Isle of Wight County. He was known as Davis, Dave, and Joseph at various locations and times in his life.

Davis participated in football, track, Hi-Y, Drama Club, and the Senior Class Play at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, VA; he graduated with the Class of 1960.

Davis entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) in 1960. He was so proud of being in the Corps of Cadets (Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp Squadron O).

He pledged Pi Kappa in the Spring of 1962 and his pledge brothers included Ed Garthright, George Chandler III, Frank McLearen, Randy Zehmer, John Hall, Tom Tomlinson, and Jim Matthews. His big brother was Kenny Fink and his little brother was Lewis Fulwiler. Davis left school in 1964 and served in the Air Force for four years (1965 - 1969) as a Chinese Linguist.

He then returned to Virginia Tech and earned his degree in Business Administration graduating in the Fall of 1969. He received a Master of Arts in April, 1976 from Oakland University in Rochester, MI.

Davis worked in the Industrial Relations and Human Resources field for General Motors in many locations in Michigan including GM Headquarters in Detroit. His last assignment was with Delco Electronics Corporation, a subsidiary of GM in Kokomo, Indiana. He retired to the mountains near Newport, VA only 14 miles from Progress Street.

His hobbies and interests included Harley Davidson motorcycles, boating, astronomy, guitar playing, and wood splitting. Davis and Tamara are generous benefactors to Virginia Tech as members of the Legacy Society and the Pylon Society. Davis played a significant role in planning for the 2015 Pi Kappa reunion. He made many trips to Blacksburg to retrieve information. He befriended the brothers at Sigma Nu and obtained the Pi Kappa scrapbooks from the attic, many of the photos are now on the Pi Kappa website. The brothers of Sigma Nu thought highly of Davis and recently made him a brother of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

"Davis truly lived his life exemplifying the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets creed: Honor, Loyalty, Integrity and Self Discipline. He was so proud of being in and then supporting the Corps of Cadets." - Tammy Hodsden, Wife 10/12.15

"My Brothers ------ I wrote a short note to Davis Hodsden this morning (October 4, 2015) telling him how much I appreciated his persistence in locating me and encouraging me to attend the reunion. Plus, I agreed to add him to my prayer list. Just received a quick note from Tammy saying that he passed away on October 3. She added how much he was looking forward to catching up with us. Like most of you, I have been on a pleasant high for connecting with old and new friends alike, so am especially saddened to give everyone this news. An aside, Davis and I spent an evening in the old coal bin, then a ride together in somebody's car trunk, and finally we were deposited in thecountryside (still don't know where) and hidin ditches trying to avoid carfuls of locals who wanted to kick our behinds. “Hell Night” is a good way to bond right? When he recounted that story, I couldn't resist returning for the memories. Rest in peace, Davis!" - Frank McLearen, Spring '62

"Davis Hodsden, a true inspiration to me. Davis and I met in Fall '68 in the foyer of the Pi Kappa House as he returned for the first time to VT after a 4 year stint in the Air Force spending most of his time in Asia in a supporting role for the Viet Nam War.Visiting Davis and his Taiwan wife, Sophie, in Blacksburg a couple times was like walking into a Royal Palace with Sophie's attire being the big attraction. Davis was in the School of Business and the Dean had Davis on the straight and narrow so to graduate by the end of the school year. Davis limited his visits to the house that year as a result and graduated in June '69 with a job with General Motors awaiting him in Dearborn, MI. Meeting Davis impacted my life and resulted in my moving to Asia for twelve years. About 25 years later via email we reunited after he and wife, Tammy, both retired from General Motors and settled in Newport, VA outside Blacksburg. My next contact with Davis was to inquire about helping in finding all the lost Brothers and retrieving old pictures, scrapbooks, and composites from the House after 30-40 years in storage in the attic. All the time for eight years Davis has been fighting Melanoma and there was nothing more important than doing what he could to help bring the Brotherhood back together. Davis was a total volunteer and jumped to the task and paying out of his own pocket to digitize and refinish old photos and composites to a quality deserved by the website. Davis Hodsden was a great role model, a great friend, a Brother, and his contribution to the re-founding of Pi Kappa was vital to the end. Rest in Peace, Mr. Davis Hodsden." - GA Baker, Fall '67 10/7/15

"GA Baker suggested that I call Davis in May of 2014 because he lived just west of Blacksburg and he might be willing to help with gathering information for the website. Our first conversation lasted about an hour and was the first of many hours over the past year and a half. His enthusiasm was unbridled and his love for Pi Kappa was inspiring. He found our scrapbooks buried in the eaves of the attic. He borrowed all of our composites from Sigma Nu and had them professionally cleaned and reframed and returned to the house. He also went to Ethel and Rice Dobbins’house and found they had passed away in 2007 and 2000 respectively. I met Davis and his wife Tammy in Harrisonburg a month later to retrieve the scrapbooks. I learned a lot from Davis and will draw strength from the manner in which he led his life. He had been fighting melanoma cancer for eight years but decided to make the best of each day. He never had a complaint. He and Tammy were best friends and they made daily Harley trips to Blacksburg to watch the enormous construction projects on campus. Davis was a kind and generous sole and he let you know how much he appreciated your friendship. He was the kind of person the Founding Brothers had in mind when they created Pi Kappa." - Steve Brisbane, Winter '68 10/9/15