Farewell to, Dr. John Odom

Dr.+John+Odom+has+been+the+Starr%E2%80%99s+Mill+Choral+Director+for+19+years.+The+Panther+family+gives+a+warm+goodbye+to+him.

Ella Bissonnette

Dr. John Odom has been the Starr’s Mill Choral Director for 19 years. The Panther family gives a warm goodbye to him.

Dr. John Odom never intended to pursue a career in teaching. He loved music and in his senior year of high school decided to join a quartet. Odom then got offered a musical scholarship and majored in musical education.

“[What I’m going to miss] the most is the wonderful students that have been a part of my life for these 37 years,” Odom said.

Odom has been teaching chorus for 37 years. He started teaching 8th and 9th graders at a junior high school in the small town of Goshay, Mississippi. After 10 years there, he helped open a new high school there and taught for three more years. Odom then moved to Clayton County and taught at Lovejoy High School for five years before coming to Starr’s Mill and finishing the last 19 years of his career here.

“The interaction with the kids, just trying to make a difference in their lives [is the most important thing],” Odom said.

After retirement, Dr. Odom is moving back to Mississippi to be with his children and grandchildren. Odom is hoping to make as big of an impact on his grandchildren as he has on his students.

“[I want my legacy to be] that I made a difference in a life through music,” Odom said.

Starr’s Mill gives a warm goodbye to Dr. John Odom for his 19 years of service and dedication to the Panther family.