Remembering Maida Odom: Journalist, professor, a mentor who believed in me
Maida Odom — who spent decades at a reporter, then many years as a journalism professor at Temple University, and recently passed away — is remembered by Peak Johnson, one of her mentees.
Peak Johnson is a North Philadelphia native and a graduate of Community College of Philadelphia, Temple University, and Arcadia University. He is an English teacher at William Hunter Elementary and an adjunct professor at Community College of Philadelphia.
One of the most challenging things for a writer is finding the right words to describe someone who mattered most to you. How do you capture their importance and dedication to their craft in words?
I don’t know how to accurately describe my admiration for Maida Odom — who many years as an Inquirer reporter, and then as a journalism professor at Temple University, and passed away this weekend — other than to say how kind and wise I found her. How unabashed she was when speaking about the state of journalism, or when a student wasn’t getting that one assignment right. She didn’t sugarcoat much, and I appreciated that.
Writing how sad I am that she is no longer here is only part of what I’m feeling right now.
My first memory of meeting Professor Odom is from my first year of college, when I was a journalism major at Temple University. I didn’t know much about her or the impact she would have on me, but I was excited to enter her classroom. Fresh out of the Community College of Philadelphia, I cared only about finally taking a journalism course.
She kept the spark inside me going throughout my years at school.
But something about her stood out to me. She was funny, sure, often telling me and her other students anecdotes from her time as a reporter, but more importantly, she kept the spark inside me going throughout my years at school. Even when things would become hard, she reminded me that I could be a good journalist and do the job.
I hope it’s not cliché to say Professor Odom was one of the professors at Temple who truly believed in me before I could believe in myself. At the time, I didn’t understand why she reached out to guide me, but I appreciated it then, and even more so now.
When I was working on a story and needed honest feedback, Professor Odom was whom I went to for feedback. Her words and suggestions not only improved my stories but also helped me become a better journalist as I moved forward with my education at Temple.
After my first semester, she reached out to me and a few others about working with her over the summer to teach high school students about journalism. The Temple University High School Press was a summer program run by Temple’s journalism department and the School District of Philadelphia. It brought together high school students from across Philadelphia to Temple’s Center City campus. Together, we were able to put out a print publication along with an online one.
At that point, it was one of the most rewarding things that I had ever done at Temple, and I was ecstatic to be given the opportunity, not once, but twice.
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Toward my final year at the university, I floated the idea of attending graduate school to Professor Odom. “Oh, goodness,” she replied with a smile. I’m not sure she was keen on graduate school — some professors, I found out later, were not — but she added, “I’ll support you in whatever you do.”
Life threw a few curveballs my way, and I didn’t go to graduate school right away, but when I decided to attend Temple University’s Teaching Residency program, I reached out to Professor Odom. I hadn’t stayed in close contact after I graduated, so I was a bit hesitant ... but when I asked, she responded quickly. With her letter of recommendation, I was accepted into the program.
After that, we kept in touch through email and social media. I often post short stories on social media about my days teaching students, and she often commented on them, saying how funny she found them.
My last correspondence with her was in April. A petition detailing an issue that I was having concerning a lot next door to my home was circulating online. Professor Odom, who was out of the country, reached out and asked how she could help.
I will be forever grateful to her for her willingness to bridge any distance — literal or figurative — to remind me that she was there for me. Sometimes a professor becomes more than your guiding light and becomes your family.
I will truly miss you, Professor Odom.
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