BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AMIDST the grief and suffering which was brought on by the unfortunate and untimely loss of one of his sons, Superintendent of Prisons Junie ‘Scrape’ Hodge says he is focused on the positives and good times which he spent with him.
Junieve ‘Spaz’ Hodge, the Superintendent’s last child, lost his life on the evening of August 28, 2016 following a collision between the motorcycle he was riding and a motorbus.
‘Spaz’ - the Professional
Hodge spoke glowingly of his son whom he said exhibited maturity and professionalism beyond his 21 years.
“He has grown into a remarkable young man, a professional young man, a young man with a vision. And he was a go-getter in terms of business and in terms of what he really wanted in life. Apart from his full time job – as an Environment Health Inspector – he single-handedly ran my company H&H Security Services at 21-years-old and with little or no supervision. So he has set a bar that all other young people will have to try to get over.”
Hodge said he saw his son as his hero, one who had did not only have “book sense” but was also “street smart” and “dependable”.
“And for me as a father, he was one call away at all times, especially when it came to the business and matters of the family. All I had to do was just pick up the phone and call him. Even though he might have had other plans, he would say ‘ok daddy’ and he would move on it. He was very dependable. I had no problem resting at nights while he ran the company. In my humble opinion, superman had nothing on him. He was a superman at age 21. He has left a void which would be difficult or impossible to fill…
“He was a remarkable young man…Even though the others were older than him, when it came to street smarts - even though he had the book smarts - he also conquered the street smarts so he was able to move around and move professionally. The other thing he was able to do while running my company, the Management of the Twilight Zone contacted him to be part of their marketing department…and he did it well. He was a leader…”
‘Spaz’ - the counselor and negotiator
The grieving father disclosed that he was often confounded by the sound advice his son was able to give to members of his family.
“He was also a counselor. Sometimes when I listened to my son talking to his sister or his mother or even me, sometimes I ask for my real son to stand up. When we go to negotiate to get contracts, the first time I saw him in action…that took me by surprise I actually had to turn in my chair and look to make sure that that was my son who was talking. The level of maturity and professionalism and persuasiveness, how he was able to persuade the Managing Director of the company… Before we left the office, the gentleman told us the contract would be ours.”
‘Spaz’ – always had time for a joke
Because he was not one who liked seeing people down-spirited, Spaz, his father recalls, always tried his best to cheer up those with whom he came in contact. Hodge recounted an encounter with his son which he said sometimes draws laughter from him.
“One thing I remember that makes me chuckle at times…one day I was in the house, just finished cutting my hair and shaving my face and he came in and he threw his right arm around me. And he said ‘Daddy, who is more handsome? You or me? Let’s look in the mirror…’ I turned to him and I said ‘Whether or not you are more handsome than I am, the fact remains that you are my seed and I am proud to know that you have taken the trophy in that field’. Not that he was boasting or full of himself but he was a jovial person. He liked to see people happy and laughing so he would do or say things to lift your spirit.”
The Superintendent repeatedly indicated to this publication that he loves his children “equally well” but explained that was something remarkable about Spaz which captivated him.
Sometime in the near future, H&H Security Services would be renamed H&H Spaz Security Services in honour of the fallen Sandy Pointer. And his father said a picture of him would be enlarged, framed and prominently hung on one of the walls of the company’s Stadium View, Cleverly Hill, Sandy Point property.
When the horrible news came
The Superintendent was in the Basseterre area on the evening that his son was killed and he recollected that he received a phone call which caused him to rush to the New Guinea/Sandy Point area.
He said when he got there, he observed his wife and one of his daughters over Spaz’ motionless body, with his friends holding on to him and crying.
He explained that he checked several areas of his son’s body a couple of times and did not feel a pulse and that is when he moved his wife and daughter away from the area.
Relatively upbeat up until this point in the interview, Hodge broke down in tears nearing the end of this explanation and repeated that he is proud of his son and would never ask for any other.
“He demonstrated to me that he was more than capable of filling my shoes…”
Even during their times of disagreement, Hodge said Spaz never disrespected him but was always willing and able to indicate his reason for disagreeing with something that was said or done.
Spaz might have gotten his love for motorbikes from his father, who told SKNVibes that because he rode during his younger years and even today, he introduced his son to recreational activity.
“I told him about the danger and the fun of bikes and the possibility of him being killed…but it was his choice.”
Seen as a people’s person, the young bike rider “was well-liked by his peers and he was also well liked by the ladies, probably because of his charm, good looks, the way he was built, his intellect, and his physical abilities because he was also involved in sports,” Hodge expressed.
'Spaz' departed this life little less than a month before his 22nd birthday and among those by whom he is survived are: his older brother Juvon Hodge-Arrindell, his older sisters Keyanna Arrindell and Junique Hodge, his mother Tryphena Hodge and his little nephew MJae Collins.
