By contibuting writers Gianna Alicea (’27) and Damian Petrosillo (’27)

Walter Dodge was a well-loved member of the J-D community. He worked as a long time substitute at Jamesville-Dewitt Middle School and Jamesville-Dewitt High School. On October 2, 2024, he passed at the age of 87.

During his time subbing at J-D, he was beloved by all the students and staff. Everyone has their favorite memories with him. “He was my favorite sub,” said sophomore Quinn Pfister. “He always gave me James Patterson books to read and I loved to discuss them with him,” Pfister recalls.

“He used to play jacks on the stage with us during lunch,” junior Nicole Chen says. “He was incredibly friendly and would invite students to play with him. I remember how he used to always beat us.”

Mr. Dodge not only impacted students but also staff members. J-DMS Principal Andy Elridge said, “He was so humble, funny, and personable that you tended to overlook his brilliance. The students were so happy when they saw him as their sub, they loved his happy energy that he gave off.”

Elridge had a particular memory about Mr. Dodge and Halloween. “[When he] found out that we stopped having middle schoolers wear costumes to school during Halloween, he wanted to provide them with a greeting with a costume on. So he wore a costume every year. From that point on, he greeted every student each Halloween wearing a really elaborate costume,” said Eldrige.

Before he was a sub, he was a varsity gymnastics coach at Syracuse University. There are a couple videos of him coaching at SU. The videos are for public viewing here.

Mendez Sipuier describes him as “very kindhearted and always made people smile.” Mr. Dodge has been described as a lot of things but to most he was a kind, sweet, optimistic, fun-loving person. “He was sweet, loving, and an old soul and wherever he is, he’s making people smile,” said sophomore Ella Doumit. He will be forever missed and have a place in the J-D community’s hearts.