Vernon S. Odom, Sr. was born on June 9, 1921, in Biscoe, Arkansas, the son of a former slave. Vernon and his family moved to Cleveland, where he grew up and attended Central High School. Mr. Odom graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1949 and later received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Atlanta University.

After college, Odom worked as Program Director of the Carver Boys’ Club in Atlanta, Georgia; with the Salvation Army Red Shield Club in New York and Plymouth Settlement House in Louisville, Kentucky. He also served in the U. S. Army, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant before being honorably discharged.

In 1953, Mr. Odom came to Akron to work as a community activist with the Akron Community Service Center and Urban League. He worked in various capacities with the League and was named its Executive Director in 1964.

Vernon Odom, Sr. died May 22, 1996. He will always be remembered for his service to the community and young people; for his love of sports; and for his gift of insight that helped settle many controversial issues in the Greater Akron Area.

In his lifetime, Mr. Odom received many awards and commendations. The Akron community has honored his memory through the Vern Odom allotment, a suburban-style housing development located on Akron’s west side; the Vernon Odom Fund of the Akron Community Foundation, which helps fund organizations who serve minorities within the community; and, in 2000, by renaming Wooster Avenue as Vernon Odom Boulevard.