EUNICE — Eunice, La-Blue Jay Field, located on Magnolia Road, is where the magic happened for sports reporter Tom Dodge. In the sports community, people say he captured pictures of high school sports that are powerful, creating memories that will live on for the people of Eunice.
This past Father's Day, the community said goodbye after the photographer passed away at the age of 67.
"He took some great pictures; he had a habit of getting the right shot," said St. Edmund High School football coach James Shiver.
On this field, Tom Dodge captured most of these pictures of athletes—snapshots of them in the midst of their greatest moments.
"You know, he would get the shot where they made the basket or the shot that matters the most," said Shiver.
A dear friend and mentee goes back to the sidelines, remembering Dodge.
"For football, he would be all over the place and be on the sidelines with us. You never had a sporting event where he wasn't on the sideline with the camera on his neck. You know, it was just something that was expected," said Shiver.
Not until this Wednesday afternoon, at a 7-on-7 tournament, when coaches, players, and friends noted his absence.
"This is where Tom and I would be up and down the sideline; yep, he would be right here with his clipboard," said Dwight Jodon.
Jodon, a family friend, says they bonded over an interest in photography. Jodon took pictures as a hobby, while Dodge worked at the Daily World and Eunice News; he worked for the newspaper for almost 30 years.
"Our conversations were just more than photography and sports; I could talk to Tom about everything," said Jodon.
Jodon says Dodge loved more than just capturing sports.
"He loved the players and their families and just sharing pictures with them, sharing memories; it was a lot more than writing a newspaper article," said Jodon.
It was more about filling the blank pages of a newspaper and capturing moments of people and the sport they loved.
Shiver says Dodge's work will be missed.
"You might not miss it today, but we will miss it when the season starts," said Shiver.
Funeral arrangements for Tom can be found by clicking this link.
