By Brendan Hoover
Managing Editor

Cody Brown was only eight when he died in 2003 from complications of nueroblastoma, a childhood form of cancer.

Cody’s life was cut short, but his spirit lives on. It grows stronger every day as the people he touched continue spreading his message.

Two area men have taken up Cody’s message of faith to begin a scholarship program to help needy students attend college.

Ridge Hooks is the Executive Director of the Softball Players Association, a national senior amateur softball organization based in Mustang. The SPA has a scholarship program of its own, which has provided $125,000 in college scholarships over the past 10 years.

Hooks said Cody’s story inspired him to help keep his memory alive.

“It humbles you to think God could use you like that,” Hooks said.

It’s a pay-it-forward thing for Hooks, in a way. His father died when he was 16, and college seemed like an unattainable dream. Then he received money from his church to continue his education. He’s now retired after working 25 years for Mars, Inc., the candy and food company.

“I just asked God to take me where he could use me,” he said.

In this case, God is using Hooks to help build this scholarship program. He and Rodney French, who owns a Tuttle printing business, are seeking sponsors for the scholarship and candidates from area schools to receive the prizes.

The men plan to award at least a single $1,000 scholarship during the first year, with matching fund hopefully proving additional scholarships. Needy students who would not otherwise be able to attend college are the ideal candidates.

A board will be formed to administer the program, French said.

The program is also attached to the Cody Brown Memorial Spirit Award. The first annual award was given to Heisman Trophy winner and University of Oklahoma football legend Jason White in December.

White and OU Head Football Coach Bob Stoops developed a friendship with Cody during the final weeks of his life. Stoops regularly volunteers with the Oklahoma Children’s Center Association, a nonprofit organization that provides support for children with cancer and their families.

Stoops often visits patients at the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.

An avid OU fan, Cody spent a day with the Sooner football team before he died, visiting the weight room, posing for photos with players and touring the Barry Switzer Center.

Stoops and White visited Cody and his family at their south Oklahoma City home the day before he died. On the sidelines the next day, Stoops wore a gold cancer awareness pin given to him by Cody. Now he wears it at every game.

Cody’s stepfather, Mark Dennis, said the boy wanted to be a preacher when he grew up. Cody introduced his mother, Tammy, to Dennis during a meeting at Oklahoma City’s Eagle Heights Baptist Church in 2001.

“I noticed he was wise beyond his years. I didn’t know about his cancer at the time,” Dennis told the Baptist Messenger newspaper.

Cody loved Jesus, and he asked new acquaintances if they went to church. He even preached a sermon with Dennis at Tuttle First Baptist Church.

“Cody was a follower of Jesus Christ, and although he only walked the earth for eight years, he touched lives,” Dennis told the Baptist Messenger. “If we follow Cody’s lead, what he did during those eight years could continue to change lives.”

For more information on the Cody Brown Memorial Scholarship, contact Hooks at 376-7034.