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Joe Alvin Hudson Jr. ’69

Joe Alvin Hudson Jr. ’69, April 14, 2015, in Dallas, Texas. Joe, also known as Skipper, grew up in Dallas and in south Los Angeles. He attended Reed across a span of several years and was a founding member of the Black Student Union (BSU). Among his Reed friends was Calvin Freeman ’69, first president of the BSU, with whom he hosted a local soul and jazz radio program. Joe went on to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and earned a degree in political science and history from Bishop College in Dallas. Joe and Elaine Robinson were married in 1974 and left Texas for Los Angeles, where Joe worked for the Los Angeles Community College District as a project assistant. He then worked in human resources in Texas before returning to Los Angeles, where he taught and coached basketball at Normandie Christian School and at California Christian School. He also taught adult education for the Los Angeles Unified School District and was an amnesty instructor for the Los Angeles Community College District. In 1993, the couple and their two children moved to Dallas, where Joe continued to teach school and where he took a leadership role at Valley Creek Church of Christ. A lifelong learner, Joe completed a master’s degree in education from American InterContinental University while undergoing dialysis. A kidney transplant in 2005 enabled him to continue to work, and he focused on writing and editing. “He was an encouragement to all those around him, ministering to them, and giving them the confidence to believe in themselves.” Survivors include his wife, his son and daughter, and his brother.

Appeared in Reed magazine: September 2015