By Callie Shehan and Austin Leonard
Don Michael Hudson was a faculty member in the King College of Arts and Sciences and was also the Bible and Religion Department Chair. Throughout his life, Dr. Hudson accomplished various feats. He co-founded the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology in 1996, and at King, he developed an innovative class titled Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice. He also served as a visiting professor at various universities across the globe, including Perth; Australia, Vienna, Austria; Kiev, Ukraine; Monterrey, Mexico, and many others. Dr. Hudson authored, co-authored, or edited five books and written over 50 essays and articles in journals such as Imagiato et Ratio, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, Mars Hill Review, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Inklings, The Everyday Study Bible, Sojourners, and Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft.
In a tribute to Dr. Hudson, we asked a few faculty, staff, and students to say a few kind words about him. He will be greatly missed on campus and cherished by many.
Emily Krug, Instructional Services Librarian:
“Don always made me feel welcome at King. I remember working with him to create a video and information about citations for the Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice class. I took a short video and pulled information from the library’s citation guide. It wasn’t really anything I thought of as going above and beyond what I normally do for classes. But Don was over the moon about it. His email after I gave him the final versions was full of praise and accolades. It was the kind of email that made me feel like I was doing something right in my work.”
Brandon Story, Assistant Professor of English:
“Emerson says that to the scholar, action is subordinate to thinking, but it is essential. Don lived that idea. He read widely and studied rigorously, but he also traveled all the time, looking for beauty and interesting stories wherever he went. On his sabbatical in Germany, he posted dozens of pictures of beautiful places he visited. The more he posted, the more I noticed my own local vistas: Food City, the car line at Haynesfield Elementary, and the road construction on East Cedar, and I realized I felt equal parts admiration and envy. He was riding his motorcycle around Europe, and I was driving my kids around Bristol. When you talked to Don, he would get excited about the trip you were taking, the book you were reading, about the music you had discovered. If he were here now, he would tell all of us to read that book, get tickets to that concert, go on that adventure.”
Brooklyn Arant, Student:
“Dr. Hudson was someone who pushed me to look outside of myself. I first met him in King’s Foundations of Religious Thought and Practice class. I learned how to examine and compare differing opinions without becoming defensive about my views while trying to prove someone else’s opinion wrong. I’ve become a better student and person because of him and the class he brought to King. Dr. Hudson loved his students. He did his absolute best in teaching us about biblical history and how to become better people.”
Brody Ratliff, Student:
“We are all called to use our time, talents, and treasures to glorify the Lord and tell of the good news of Jesus Christ. Dr. Hudson was a man who did exactly that. He was an intelligent, gracious, and loving man who used what he was blessed with for God. He will be truly missed.”
See this link for more information about Dr. Hudson’s memorial service held at King University on Tuesday Dec. 13, and how to view it online.
