On behalf of the entire One Bermuda Alliance, we extend our sincerest condolences to the family of the late Arthur D.O. Hodgson, J.P., who passed away yesterday.
I first met Mr. Hodgson and his wife Liris, while attending Sandy’s Secondary School as a student. At that time, he was a teacher with other luminary black male educators such as Jim Brock, Solomon Kawaley, Kenneth Richardson, Donald Dane and James Parris. As a graduate of Oxford University in the U.K., and as a Rhodes Scholar, he was a very good teacher with a great sense of humour. His students enjoyed attending his classes which he led with a firm hand and as a consequence, was able to illicit the best from them.
As a former member of the Bermuda Parliament, former Cabinet Minister, and commercial lawyer he willingly shared his depth of knowledge and practical experience.
Arthur was a very spiritual man and through the years he was willing to spread the gospel and up lift those that he touched, through his church in Crawl, and members of Bermuda’s Parliament though Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast Group.
As a former Minister of the Environment in the early 2000’s, he had a genuine passion for the environment, whether terrestrial or the marine. He was concerned about Bermuda’s sustainable development, and fervently believed that sustainable development should form the cornerstone of Bermuda’s economic and planning legislation.
As a seasoned politician and man of God, Arthur Hodgson JP will be sadly missed in Bermuda.