NASHVILLE — Howard Allison Hood, 65, a 1961 graduate of H.V. Cooper High School, died suddenly on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009, at his 38-acre camp near Nashville.

Mr. Hood grew up on Harris Street and on Indiana Avenue in Vicksburg. He loved the Boy Scouts — he and Billy Ferris attended the 1957 Jamboree at Valley Forge, Pa. — and developed a love for singing, opera and walking through his beloved woods. He played the hero Jack Dalton in “Gold in the Hills” as a young man, spun records at WVIM radio, served as a lifeguard at the city swimming pool and ran sprints on the Greenies’ track team. He was student body president and Mr. Cooper High.

Mr. Hood graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude in 1965 and from Columbia University School of Law in 1968. He also earned a graduate degree at Vanderbilt University and spent his professional career as the legal research specialist and assistant librarian at Vanderbilt Law School.

After his retirement, he devoted himself to his real estate business in Nashville and took part in many productions with the Nashville Symphony Singers and the Nashville Opera.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Orley and Vivian Hood.

Survivors include a sister and brother-in-law, Cathy and Alton Phillips of Madison, and a brother and sister-in-law, Orley and Mary Ann Hood of Brandon; six nieces and nephews and six great-nieces and nephews.

His ashes will be interred in the family plot at the Greenville City Cemetery on Monday.

Memorials may be sent to French Camp Academy, 1 Fine Place, French Camp MS 39745-9989.