Earlier this month, Delaware County lost one of its best people - Thomas W. Coddington, 77, of Andes.
Tom, referred to as “Cod” by many, was a long time sports reporter and editor for The Reporter. But he was so much more than his career.
Tom was a military man, a faithful man, a political man, but above all, a gentle man.
He was thoughtful and tempered and slow to anger. He would rather walk away or remain silent than engage in confrontation, because he respected people and understood their motivations. He never spoke an unkind word about anyone.
He loved sports, but didn’t play them. Instead, he observed and celebrated our county’s youth and their accomplishments. He had an magical way of not actually being somewhere, and writing about an event or game as though he sat through it and wrote from a photographic memory. We will not forget his magic.
Cod’s Corner - his roundup sports column, was his way of scolding coaches, the weather, or fickle, behind-the-curtain league schedulers in a short paragraph. His Athlete-of-the Week and Athlete-of-the-Year sections of the newspaper were where he really shined, by shining a light on our kids. I wonder how many student athletes or parents still have those newspaper clippings?
In the eight years I worked with him, first as reporter and then as a co-editors, he came “this close” to losing his temper with me. It was over a headline, or title, he wrote, that I changed before the paper went to print. In my mind, the reasoning was logical and simple - he had too many words - seven instead of five, with unnecessary prepositions and past-tense verbs. After all, my rookie-editor mind reasoned, removal of word-clutter and visual appeal matter in the newspaper business. He walked from his office into mine, stood in my doorway and with a scarlet glare, yelled “Don’t.Touch.My.Work!” and slammed the door in my face.
An hour later, I tapped on his door and before I could say a word, he apologized for the outburst. Which led to the two of us apologizing to one another and an even greater respect between us. We compromised on the title - six words and one preposition with an active verb.
So Tom, here are ALL the words - words of praise in celebration and remembrance of you.
The depth of experience and knowledge he acquired over his lifetime, came in part from his military service. He was drafted in 1966 after dropping out of his fourth year at Hartwick College. His military service helped shape his career as a sports writer. While in Bangkok, he wrote about soccer matches between the “Brits,” Germans, French, Portuguese and Americans for the local barracks newspaper called “The Bangkok Bolt.”
He was a patriot and saw military service as his duty. He had no regrets, he said. He was always safe.
Though he was scheduled to be in Thailand for two years, his tour was cut short and he returned to military service in Maryland, where he was honorably discharged.
He had no desire to re-enlist and promptly finished a college degree in political science.
Those that knew Tom, knew his passion for politics and the Democratic party.
What most people don’t know about Tom, however, is that he used to be a Republican.
He got mad at New York State Governor George Pataki, a Republican, and promptly left the GOP and enrolled in the Democratic party.
I asked him about his change of enrollment for a Veterans Day feature story in 2018: “Back in those days,” he said, “the two parties were a little closer.” Tom could not tolerate the “bashing” of candidates that is happening today. “Politics,” he said, “never used to be like they are now. It’s distasteful. Partisan politics can go too far. And they have.”
He began his career with The Reporter as a general assignment reporter working for Al Peake and John D. Clark and after 46 adventurous years with The Reporter, he retired in 2018.
Tom was a veteran of foreign war, Vietnam, and a long-time member of the James D. Calhoun American Legion Post #200 in Andes.
He died on Oct. 17 at Mountainside Residential Home in Margaretville and his life will be celebrated at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Andes United Methodist Church, 328 Lower Main Street, Andes, with Pastor Donna LeRoy. Burial with military honors will follow at Andes Cemetery.
My affection and respect for Tom, who I fondly referred to as “Tom-Cat,” is shared by the Delaware County community.
He was not just a gentle man, he was a great man. May he rest in peace.
Lillian Browne-Burdick, former reporter and editor of The Reporter
