Richard and Joanna Hudson Provide 'Gift of Appreciation'

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Richard Hudson, vice chancellor for government and community relations, and his wife, Joanna, have made a $100,000 bequest to the University of Arkansas. The gift, which will provide unrestricted funding to the university’s areas of greatest need, is what Richard calls a “gift of appreciation” for the time he and Joanna have been affiliated with the university.

“When our own faculty and staff make commitments like this, it speaks highly of our campus culture and their confidence in the university,” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “Richard has been a friend and colleague of mine for 15 years, and I was touched when he told me he wanted to make this gift. He has already given the university almost 20 years of service and has been a valuable part of our success. We are very appreciative of Richard and Joanna for their generosity.”

Both Richard and Joanna are natives of Warren, Ark. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, Richard became involved in education. In 1969, he and Joanna moved to Fort Smith, where Richard taught political science at what was then Westark Community College, and Joanna worked as an elementary teacher in the public schools and was an adjunct faculty member at Westark. They moved to Fayetteville in 1994 when Richard took the job of director of government relations. In his current role as vice chancellor for government and community relations, Richard acts as the university’s lobbyist and connection to the Arkansas legislature. He frequently travels back and forth between Fayetteville and Little Rock. In fact, a few years ago, he was asked to estimate how many miles he had driven over the years to and from Little Rock – first from Fort Smith and then from Fayetteville. His conservative calculation was the equivalent of 16 times around the earth or the distance to the moon and two-thirds of the way back. Calling his service to higher education “out of this world” would be appropriate.

“Joanna and I recently reflected on how significant the move to the University of Arkansas was for us 18 and a half years ago,” said Richard. “We’ve been blessed to be a part of this organization and to get to work with so many top quality colleagues. This gift is a way for us to show our appreciation. Similarly, I would encourage others who have been with the university for many years and seen their retirement funds grow beyond their expectations to consider giving back to the university through a bequest.

 “I’ve seen the importance of unrestricted gifts over the years,” he continued. “Since this gift is being made in the form of a bequest, it seemed necessary to give the university some flexibility in how it is spent, because you never know what the needs will be at that particular time.”

Richard and Joanna are members of the Arkansas Alumni Association and Heritage Society and will be inducted into the Towers of Old Main this spring. In their free time, they enjoy vacationing internationally. So far, they have been to over 40 countries and plan to cruise the Adriatic Sea this summer. Richard also enjoys genealogy and has compiled a database of over 30,000 persons who are part of their extended families. Their two sons, Jason and Hayes, both live in Northwest Arkansas, and Hayes is a U of A alumnus.