5 minute read
David Hudson: The Long Road to Hamline
Words by Emma Larson | Photos by Chloé McElmury
You have probably seen English Professor David Hudson in passing around Hamline: round tortoiseshell glasses, briefcase in tow, always looking sharp in a great sweater. We could talk about his favorite color or favorite food, but through my time with Professor Hudson what I found the most interesting was his journey to Hamline and all the twists and turns that careers can often take us on. Being college students, this can be a refreshing perspective to understand.
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Hudson was born in Michigan, but then spent most of his childhood and teenage years in Winnipeg, Canada. After spending a year at the University of Manitoba studying physics, he then realized that though the science field is interesting he wanted to make a change in majors and study English and journalism.
“I had a love for science but I soon realized I was not as into the major as some of my fellow classmates,” Hudson said.
At the time, the University of Minnesota was one of the best schools for journalism, and as Hudson had fond memories of family in Minneapolis he decided to make the trek down south to become a Gopher. Four years later in 1979, he graduated with a double major in English and journalism and with dreams of being a journalist.
At first he started out working internship-type jobs at WCCO as well as working for a former professor at a small publishing company.
He was sending his resume out to many employers with little response.
“I then caught a big break, out of the blue got a job at ABC News in New York,” said Hudson. Just like that, in 1982 Hudson was off to the Big Apple to work in the political unit of ABC.
He spent his time in New York working on the news team that covered elections, projecting election results and analyzing what casting a ballot actually meant to voters. The city was overwhelming, and he didn’t quite understand the urgency to be the first reporter on the scene. Although Hudson gained a lot of career and life experience in New York, after two years the thrill of the city that never sleeps soon wore him down, and he was ready for another big change in his life.
He felt something was missing in his education and started taking night classes at Columbia University to continue studying English. “I always thought journalism was the practical one, it’s the one that is going to make me a living, while English was for my soul,” said Hudson.
He applied to Columbia University in New York and his alma mater, the University of Minnesota. This desire to come back to Minnesota was always in the back of Professor Hudson’s mind. When the time came, Minnesota was the right choice as Hudson was offered a full-ride with the opportunity to be a teaching assistant. Through a long process of getting his Ph.D, starting a family, and part-time teaching at both Hamline and Augsburg College, Hudson said, “I reached a crisis point where I thought this academic life just isn’t going to happen, so I started looking for other things.”
Hudson explored other options, including a consulting company for nonprofits in Berkeley, California. However, at this time, Voter News Service had come together and decided to have an office in every state. Due to his experience with ABC News, an offer was made for him to set up a state office in Minnesota. In 1999, Hudson established the state headquarters at Hamline, therefore creating the opportunity to teach full-time as an English professor at Hamline.
“Hamline was the most open to new ideas and new ways of thinking about the type of programming a faculty member could contribute,” Hudson said. Hamline was very interested in the Voter News Service and how students, particularly journalism students, could be involved and use it as a valuable learning experience.
“Hamline was also open to the idea of me teaching British survey of literature and then turn around and teach a fundamentals of journalism class. In most places that would’ve been unheard of,” Hudson explained.
With his time here at Hamline, Hudson has taught a variety of courses. He has used all the different skills he studied in school and in the professional world. Everything from reporting journalism to analyzing different literary texts is right in Hudson’s wheelhouse. His favorite subject to teach is writing during the World War II era. The history of that time and the types of writing in that time period intrigued Hudson so much he wrote his dissertation on it.
He had success in his vision for teaching higher learning. He believes that English and journalism are very important to learn even if they aren’t specifically in your major: “In the world we live in with information just bombarding us, it’s important to be able to grab ahold of pertinent information, whether it’s science, government, politics, whenever you are communicating with people.”
In addition to teaching, Hudson is the advisor for the student-led newspaper The Oracle.
People from all different majors come together to write, take pictures, and contribute in their own way. The Oracle has done very well placing in national conferences against schools that are bigger and in which the newspapers are run by whole journalism Departments. This is something that Hudson is very proud of. This is just one of the many ways Hudson has touched Hamline students.
Professor Hudson andhis journey taught me that sometimes you change career paths until you find what makes your soul happy. When you find out where you are supposed to be, you then can bring your talents to these new opportunities and impact not only your own life but others’ as well. I think many of us students can agree that we are thankful Hudson’s path eventually brought him to Hamline.
