By Bill King
Hodie Childress was a man I had never heard of until after he died. Earlier this year, on New Year’s Day, he died at the age of 80. He lived in the small town of Geraldine, Alabama, on top of Sand Mountain. Hodie’s heart was as big as the mountain on which he lived. Although he lived less than 15 miles from where I grew up, I never met Mr. Childress, but I wish I had. I like his name – Hodie. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with that name. I don’t think I’ve met many people like Hodie Childress. He was not a celebrity, or a famous man, at least not until after he died. From what I’ve learned about him, he probably would have been embarrassed by all the talk and commotion about him. Perhaps you’ve never heard of him either, although his story has been told in numerous newspapers, on local news programs, and even on the evening news on national broadcasts. Perhaps, you have already heard or read his story, but just in case you’ve missed it, I have to share it with you.
Hodie Childress was a farmer who also had retired from Lockheed Martin. He was not a wealthy man, as I understand, but he was a most generous and thoughtful one. Hodie used the money he had to help others in need. He performed an act of kindness for numerous people each month over a period of a decade. Like the Good Samaritan in the Bible, Mr. Childress didn’t necessarily know the people to whom he ministered. Most often, he never even saw them but passed along his good deeds through another person. One day, around ten years ago, he was in the Geraldine Drug Store when he realized a customer didn’t have enough money to pay for their medicine. Mr. Childress quietly paid the bill, but it didn’t stop there. He returned later to give the pharmacist, Brooke Walker, a $100 bill. He said, “Use this to help anyone else who comes in but can’t pay.” He asked Ms. Walker not to say a word to anyone about who gave to money. He instructed her to simply tell the recipients that the money was a gift from God. Ms. Walker kept her promise to keep his secret. She told no one until after his passing.
Each month, Mr. Childress dropped by the drugstore to leave another $100 bill. Sometimes he gave several of them. He did this every month for ten years. He helped hundreds of people get the medicines they needed. Some estimates claim that he may have given as much as $10,000 over the years.
Not long before Mr. Childress died, he revealed his secret to his daughter. Even his own daughter was shocked to hear what he had done. He didn’t tell her in order to gain praise for himself, but because he knew his days were numbered, and he wanted his daughter to carry on his tradition once he was gone. What a spirit of generosity!
Hodie Childress reminds me of the man in the Bible that we call “The Good Samaritan.” He ministered to a stranger who had been beaten, robbed, and left to die. He then took him to an inn and paid for his lodging. He told the innkeeper he would return and pay more if needed. Hodie Childress was The Good Samaritan from Sand Mountain. Both he and the Samaritan in the Bible are good examples of how we may give of ourselves to help others in need.
