Circumstances, Conundrums, and Commoners

About the Author: Introduced to poetry before attending school, Hood recited “The Night Before Christmas” at a community Christmas celebration at a one-room country school in Van Buren County Michigan. During his education through eighth grade at that school, he wrote his first poems. Over the course of years, reading and writing poetry has been a favorite avocation. Walking in the country side and on his family’s farm and woodlots created an appreciation of trees and flowers in a wild setting. His vocation as a college professor of sociology acquainted him with unrest and criticism within American society during the civil rights era and the increasing awareness of racial, economic and gender discrimination as well as the failure of the American dream of equal treatment of all within its institutions. This is his first book of poems. T. C. Hood, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Sociology received his university education at Michigan State and Duke Universities. The Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors was awarded at M.S.U. in June 1960. In August of 1960 “Ginger” Johnson married Tom. She provided family support by teaching during his first years in graduate school in addition to his graduate research assistantship. Duke University awarded the A.M. degree in Sociology in 1964 and in August of that year their son, Christopher Charles was born. Ginger had by this time begun teaching at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. In September, 1965, Hood began teaching at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Their daughter Heather was born in September , 1969 not long after Duke University granted Hood the Ph.D. degree. During those years Ginger provided great family support and much assistance in completing drafts of the dissertation . Professor Hood is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Gamma Mu, Phi Eta Sigma, and Alpha Kappa Delta and Alpha Zeta honor societies and FarmHouse Fraternity. Professor Hood joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1965 as an instructor He was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1969, Associate Professor in 1973, Professor in 1985. He served as Head of the Department of Sociology from January 1983 until June 1991. Professor Hood has served on many Department, College and University committees. In 1991, he served as President of the University Senate. Active in outside organization, he has served as President of the Southern Sociological Society, as an officer and committee member in several sections of the American Sociological Association, President of the Popular Culture Association in the South, and Executive Officer of the international organization, The Society for the Study of Social Problems from 1991 .to 2009 Currently his research and writing interests include social suffering and collective distress, the social psychology of appearance and the attribution of character, the work of Erving Goffman, environmental movements in America. His published research on the Billy Graham crusade in Knoxville and his work on the social psychology of experiments has been reprinted and widely cited. A committed Christian, Hood is a life-long member of the United Methodist Church having served on local, district and conference committees. He has been an active 4-H Leader for over 40 years in Knox County. Volunteer work with the United Methodist Church, 4-H Youth and community service opportunities has been a constant source of meeting people generous with their resources and friendship.