Virginia prep sports suffered a tremendous

loss with the death of Claudia Dodson, a pioneer of female athletics, who

passed away last weekend at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

Only the fourth woman in the country to be

hired as a state administrator, Dodson entered the Virginia High School League

in 1971 when gymnastics was the only option for female student-athletes, then

a neglected group on the prep scene.

"Claudia Dodson was there from the

beginning. I can't imagine any person having more impact on female athletics

in this state than Claudia," said VHSL Executive Director Ken Tilley.

Dodson, who died 13 days shy of her 66th

birthday, was a trailblazer in expanding female athletics in Virginia,

increasing offerings from one sport to 12 and into 31 state championships upon

her retirement in January 2002.

"The leaders of this organization

recognized that a strong person had to be brought in in order to turn things

around, and Claudia fit that bill perfectly," Tilley said. "She fought for

female athletics and made sure the movement kept progressing forward."

Born in Washington, D.C., Dodson graduated

from Thomas Dale High School before earning a bachelor's degree in health

and physical education in 1963 from Westhampton College, now the University of

Richmond, and a master's degree in physical education from Tennessee in

1965.

Dodson, a Virginia High School Hall of Fame

member, helped establish Women in Sport (WinS), a respected organization that

promotes and highlights female athletes in Central Virginia. At the time of

her death, Dodson was the president of WinS. She held the post for the last

five years.

"Claudia was a magical person," said Deb

Tyson, the director of athletics at Albemarle High. "This is a loss for not

only athletes in Virginia but also for this community. She has changed

people's lives."

Dodson was inducted into the National

Federation of State High Schools (NFHS) Hall of Fame in 2004. The Virginia

Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association recognized her by

establishing the Claudia L. Dodson Scholarship, which is presented annually to

a Virginia high school senior.

A health and physical education teacher at

Meadowbrook High in Richmond, Dodson spent seven years as a driver's

education instructor before leaving for the VHSL to serve as programs

supervisor.

"She left her fingerprints on anything and

everything - integrity, character, equity - that was Claudia," said Tyson,

who called Dodson a "founding mother" of WinS.

"You discover all the branches that have

extended from Claudia, all the people she has touched in her life. It's

amazing. I know there's a hole in quite a few hearts today."

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Memorial donations may be made in Claudia's

name to the Claudia L. Dodson Scholarship Fund, 2540 Cedar Ridge Lane,