CHAMPAIGN - H. Kent Hodson of Champaign, formerly of Culver City, Calif., died Sept. 29, 2025, at Accolade Healthcare of Savoy.
Kent Hodson was born in Gothenburg, Neb., on July 19, 1938. He was the son of Howard A. Hodson and Violet L. (Carr) Hodson.
His parents and his sister, Connie L. White, predeceased him.
He is survived by his next of kin, his cousins, Thomas Hodson and Kay E. Hodson of Champaign.
In his childhood, Kent worked with his parents on a diversified, irrigated farm which had been homesteaded by his great-grandparents east of Gothenburg.
His education began at a nearby country school. Kent graduated from the Platte Valley Academy in Shelton, Neb. He received a B.S. and M.S. at the University of Nebraska. He continued his education at UCLA, where he earned a Ph.D. in botany.
Following post-doctorate research at UCLA, Kent joined the faculty at Santa Monica College. Professor Hodson served Santa Monica City College and its community throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s. As a professor of biological science, he made a lasting impact on students with his passion for teaching and his genuine care for their success. A respected colleague and leader, Professor Hodson served as department chair and as president of the faculty senate. Always forward-thinking, he played a key role in bringing Santa Monica College into the computer age, becoming its first director of instructional computing. With a group of students working under his leadership, he created the college's very first website. In addition to his academic contributions, Professor Hodson was a passionate environmentalist. He dedicated significant time to researching and preserving local shoreline habitats, documenting their unique flora and working for their conservation. His impactful career was unfortunately cut short due to injuries sustained in a fall at home.
Professor Hodson moved to Champaign in 2016 to be closer to family. During his time in Champaign, Kent was a member of the Champaign West Rotary and the Illinois Club.
The family requests that any memorial donations be made to the Santa Monica College Foundation endowment for the Kent Hodson Award for Advanced Study in the Biological Sciences or to ShelterBox USA.
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