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Revolutions need weak men with strong passions
Men bound by fear and anger, who think, but not too deeply and are willing to be lead
And his was indeed the proper attire, his were indeed the ideological correct phrases in gestures
There was little cause for criticism and little reason for derision
He was the seeming embodiment of what all that angry crowd found lacking in themselves
and perhaps what they felt guilty at not being
I is what they found strange and disturbing
Propagandists may be necessary to revolutions but not poets.
Poets might only live to express the deeper meaning of their time
The meaning that alludes the historian, yet completes the history
And his shoulders would bear what arms are cause demanded. Mine would only bear laughing children.
And there could be no revolution without him, but there could be no future without me.
Welcome to the campus of the University of Louisville for the celebration of the life of Dr. J. Blaine Hudson.
Each of us during our time on earth have been given a race to run
As you will hear during our closing song, it is for us to help somebody
It is for us to make our neighborhoods, our communities, and our society
a place where all enjoy the same civil, economic and social rights
Our departed friend and colleague, Blaine Hudson, finished the race
He helped a lot of somebodies
And his living was not in vain
Much has been written and said about Blaine over the last week
These comments about Blaine have been genuine, heartfelt, and passionate
One email I received over the weekend,
stated, Blaine Hudson was a trailblazing educator, a scholar, a leader, a historian, and an activist
We at the University of Louisville are proud of Blaine Hudson as a graduate of the University of Louisville
as a teacher and faculty member of the University of Louisville
as a department chair at the University of Louisville and as Dean of our College of Arts and Sciences
We are proud of Blaine because he was a trailblazing educator, scholar, leader, historian and activist.
We are proud of what he stood for and for his commitment to community
All of us at the University of Louisville, have benefited from knowing Blaine.
For while a valued friend and colleague he was, he was more
He was a mentor and an advisor. He taught many of us
he taught me so much more about life than I could’ve ever known, had I not known him.
The University of Louisville will miss Blaine
The University of Louisville is better because of Blaine.
Today, as we pause from our routine, to celebrate the life of Dr. J Blaine Hudson
I feel certain that Blaine, in his own way, is smiling, and would remind us not to be thinking about him
but rather how each of us can help somebody as we finish our race during our time on earth.
Good afternoon everybody. Good afternoon Bonnie and Hudson family
I’ve always believe that a very high compliment describes someone as a renaissance man
And there aren’t many people who live up to that moniker as well as Blaine Hudson
Think about his intellectual curiosity
It was so great that he was as informed and thoughtful about international events
as he was about the development potential at 28th and Broadway
Blaine’s depth of knowledge spanned many topics
And let’s face it
You better be a renaissance man if you’re the Dean of Arts and Sciences at a prominent university in the United States of America
Blaine was
Blaine believed that when people were armed with knowledge, they could change the world
It was Blaine’s faith in people and their intellectual curiosity that was both amazing and inspiring to me
Think about his Saturday academies
Free classes on a Saturday morning would go on without him and his wife, Bonnie
not knowing if 50 people would show up or 5 people would show up.
As mayor, I participate in a lot of community events
And I can assure you,
you don’t volunteer to design a learning series and teach a free class on Saturday mornings for your ego
or because you don’t have anything else to do
You do it because you are dedicated to spreading information
to sharing perspective, to sparking conversation, to elevating consciousness, and to feeding people who have a hunger for learning
And perhaps, those people can change the world
Blaine did all this because he cared about people
He cared about humanity
And to me, that’s the most prominent characteristic of Blaine’s
I thought about all the things I could say up here today, but when you get right down to it, Blaine just cared about people
He cared about his family, his university, his neighborhood, his city, and all the many communities that he operated in
Blaine, of course, did not just have an academic understanding of the community or the civil rights changes
He lived it
as did other people that I see in this room today
Merv Ovesman, Bob Douglas, Ken Clay, and we must all remember that societal change is not inevitable
Civil rights did not just arrive with the accumulation of time
These long overdue rights, were won by people who made brave decisions and fought for what was right
I think we’ve all heard about Blaine as a young man occupying the dean’s office as a protesting student
and then he later occupied the office as dean years later
Don’t you love that?
I think Martin Luther King, and one of his famous quotes echo this.
“The arch of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
Blaine going from occupying to occupier, says it all in one man
It took a group of folks to step up and stand out
And in Blaine’s case, to risk his scholarships, and his future to stand up for justice
He was arrested, he lost his scholarships. He took a real risk, and he had no guarantee that it would ever pay off
So we’re all happy to see the many ways that it paid off for Dr. J. Blaine Hudson
In my last email from Blaine, he was talking about the work of the violence prevention work group
That was a group of community volunteers that I asked to work on a strategy to prevent violence in our community
after a terrible day of triple homicides last May
It didn’t take long for us to figure out who should’ve been chair of that group
It was Blaine, naturally
In that email to me a couple months ago,
Blaine wrote about though he had stepped away from the daily work of the commission
because of his illness, he was looking forward to being a vital part to the next step
And he said that in some ways, there was no model for the group’s objective
And he said that in some ways, there was no model for the group’s objective
to create a cooperative effort that would bridge private and public sectors
bring voices together, unify them with common action
But then, Blaine was used to working without a model
He was very comfortable in that environment and he was up to the challenge
He felt that this work, the work of violence prevention
represented an unprecedented opportunity to build a better community, and he was all in
So, when I look at that email, I hear Blaine speaking to us today
His legacy is bigger than any one project, or cause.
But even in the last couple months of his life, he was thinking about the work that needed to be done for the future
Most everybody here in this room today loved Blaine in one form or another
So, what do we do when we leave here today?
Do we say we lost a good man and move on? Or do we dedicate ourselves to do more?
To stretch higher, to look at ourselves anew, and remove the excuses
that prevent us individually from being the change we need to be for the betterment of our community.
Do we pledge to ourselves to remove ego? To remove pride? That leads to self reward and part of the status quo?
That clearly is inadequate for future generations
In my role, that I’m privileged to hold, I hear a lot of people talk about what needs to be done
But they want others to do the work. It’s easy to move the lips. It’s much harder to lead and to do
Blaine was a leader and a doer. When he saw beauty, he exalted it
When he saw injustice, he rolled up his sleeves and he worked. To make the world a better place.
Let’s all be inspired to action by his example
Blaine, thank you for making our city a better place, and for making me and many of us here today, much better people
May your spirit live on, may your spirit challenge others
to strengthen their resolve to build their courage to create a brighter future for all neighborhoods in our city
As we move forward knowing that we are one city, one community, one family
To Bonnie, and all of the Hudson family,
a grateful city thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing Blaine with us over the years
May God bless you
A history professor stopped me on the sidewalk last week to say how much he missed Blaine Hudson.
Blaine was the best dean the college ever had he said even though his budget was cut over and over again
he kept the vision.
Blaine did that of course, but keeping the vision was not something ethereal.
Blaine left the college of arts and sciences in better much shape than he did in 2004 when he became dean
Here are just 4 of Blaine’s accomplishments
He established 12 new degree programs, many of them interdisciplinary programs in cutting edge fields
He increased the size of the staff and the faculty.
He increased the size of the staff and the faculty.
He expanded the college’s international programs,
giving our students opportunities to study and serve in 15 countries across every continent
except Antarctica or Australia
He broadened the college’s service to the community
establishing centers, institutes and programs dedicated to diversity outreach and social justice
These accomplishments improved the college tremendously, but they’re only part of his legacy
For those who were fortunate enough to work closely with Blaine, his legacy is his spirit
The way he treated everyone, whatever the status or pay grade, with respect
The way he stood firm for honesty and justice in the classroom, on campus, and in the community.
And the way he approached difficult situations systematically, insightfully, and calmly
If I could transplant just one of Blaine’s traits into my own personality, it would be Blaine’s remarkable calm
On several of our scheduled meetings, particularly early together in the dean’s office
Blaine would ask me what issues my office was facing
Before long, I would spell out exactly how I felt about a certain problem
This situation is so wrong in so many ways Blaine, I would say. It’s completely crazy
Then having know how the problem made me feel, I would fill in the particulars
Well John, Blaine would say in his soothing deep voice, there’s a history behind this
Then he would precede to provide context
expanding from particular to general until I understood the problem in terms of the actors
the institution, the system, and the era
By the time Blaine finished his explanation, my demeanor would be changed from fretful to contemplative
I may have still been bothered, but I no longer felt bothered
One of the college’s academic advisors recently summarized this experience well
It is hard to believe that I won’t hear his voice again, she said
Every time Blaine spoke, my blood pressure dropped 10 points
I speak for many people when I say working with Blaine has been a highlight of my career
I have witnessed a creative and determined soul affect meaningful change.
I have watched reason and respect combined with commitment and calm to improve a community
and I have seen a person leave a place better than he found it, in ways that he did not even know.
Good afternoon family
My name is JT Woods, and I’ m a long time attendee of the Saturday academy.
I’m going to try to get 20 years of an experience into 3 minutes. . I hope I can do it
The only thing that’s been on my mind since I heard the news about Dr. Hudson, is water
It’s as if the Nile River just disappeared,
because every year in the fall, the Nile would overflow its banks and he would nurture your mind
Nourish you
Enable you to go into the streets of the city and take on all the problems that existed and put your own touch on it
And I’m very thankful for that because there’s one thing that Blaine knew.
And he knew that right information brought about right choices
He shared that information willingly and he shared it for free for 20 plus years on his own time
I would tell people in my peer group that the Saturday academy is not for your children
The Saturday academy is for you
If you go to the Saturday academy,
then you will be able to teach what you don’t know because your children suffer from what you don’t know
And Blaine has the information for you, all you have to do is come get it, it’s free
It’s a free college education people from one of the best teachers probably in the history of education
Southwick Cotter Homes was right there
Residents, all they had to do was walk across the street and arm themselves with the correct information
that will make all the difference whether we prosper or whether we remain in conditions that are negative to our community
Blaine understood that
That’s why he offered himself willingly, without pay, without any kind of praise or anything he would just be there every Saturday morning
I remember when sometimes he was the youngest person in the room
This is how important it was to our community to have a person of Blaine’s ability in our presence. I call him the Muhammad Ali of academia
He come from this city. I describe him as having one of the finest minds ever walked this planet
Anybody who knew him, can attest to what I’m saying. Please don’t take my word for it
Just walk around and ask anyone. Did you know Blaine Hudson? Yes I did
If you knew Blaine Hudson, then you knew that you had been blessed
because I’m going to say from experience that I’m standing here now because someone introduced me to Blaine Hudson
and he armed me with right information and caused me to make right choices in certain situations I found myself in, had I not met Blaine
I probably wouldn’t be here talking to you all right now
Because one thing’s for sure, he always said that you must value yourself if you are to be valued by others
And we should all take heed to that
And let me close this way, it’s real simple, I’ll just say it like this, right knowledge corrects wrong behavior
When I saw how the panel had put together to deal with the situation of violence in our community
and saw that they had put Blaine Hudson on it, you finally decided to do what’s needed
You got the right people in the right places
to bring about change or bring the information to our young people that’s going to correct that wrong behavior
So, it might be cliché or whatever, but the only thing I can say is something that my parents told me
You don’t miss your water until your well runs dry and it’s dry so we have to find a new way. Thank you
Hello, to the family and to the faculty and I thank the Pan-African Studies department for inviting me as an alumni student
I am Marlene George to speak on behalf of Dr. Blaine Hudson
He’s made a true impact on my life. Dr. Hudson was a true friend and a mentor
I met him as a freshman, he was a professor here at the University of Louisville, teaching intro Courses teaching Pan-African culture
Dr. Hudson explained the subject with such enthusiasm that it sparked energy in me
I began taking more pan-African studies courses and I confide in him about other courses that I was taking
because at that time, I had no one in my family that had completed a university education
So he kind of took me under his wing and guided me in classes that I needed to take
He made me believe in myself , he made me feel that I could do anything I set my mind to
and then I ended up majoring in pan-African studies and business administration with women’s studies and religions studies as minors
That’s not it
African studies became a passion of mine
Dr. Hudson advised me to check into being a business student at the University of Kentucky and their African studies department
At that time there wasn’t a lot of internet classes so I found myself going to Lexington on the weekdays and Saturday morning classes
Then I talked to him about taking more African studies classes and Pan-African studies classes
Then he connected me to Temple University
Through Temple University, I managed to take a trip to the University of Ghana and study there
I met a lot of people while I was there, Sonya Sanchez, Bobby Sills, Black Panther Movement and that too inspired me
At the University of Ghana was a really good experience for me. It was really exciting
I got to work with people from Brown University, from the Peace Corps, from Oxmoor Prep School where I taught
and other international agencies
I even had the chance to see a refugee camp for the first time that was something that was very eye opening to me
I was also able to visit several small countries while I was there. Boccofoso, Togo, and Cultivar
The whole thing about it, he challenged me to be a visionary
he helped me with the campaign to get money to go, through private grants, donations, and other student agencies
At that time, I had no money of my own. It was just a dream
Dr. Hudson would often say that we need to have broad shoulders for the next generation to stand on
With that knowledge, he recommended me to continue on studying in the pan-African studies department
and he stated that knowledge is just like an Olympic torch, keep the fire burning by passing the torch
When I returned I was inspired to reach out and teach pan-African studies of course voluntarily
and also began to see that it had an impact on others
I taught through different churches and youth organizations
and I would say Dr. Hudson, if I had to sum him up in a few words, he was like a quiet storm that changed the landscape of your thought process
I know I’m a wiser person to have known him as a mentor and a beloved friend
I feel that I should carry his legacy on forever
I want to thank you all again for having me here to speak on his behalf.
My name is Ricky Jones, I’m a professor in the department of Pan-African Studies here at the University of Louisville
In fact I’d say the mighty Pan-African Studies Department here at the University of Louisville upon its 40th anniversary
It’s important because it was the brain child of J. Blaine Hudson and others when they were undergraduate students here at the University of Louisville
So thanks to Mayor Greg Fischer who came out today
who I’ve grown to know is a good man and conscious politician that we don’t run into very often
Very few politicians are conscious. They just care about money and being reelected
more than they do about decent things that is not the case with Mayor Fischer
To President Ramsey and Provost Willinghanz
who I have known since I’ve come here. Provost Willinghanz and President Ramsey both for the last few years
for being decent and moving with such grace and speed and organizing this memorial for the most dear member of our department
And of course to the Hudson family
to the pan-African studies family, to the university family who all loved Blaine Hudson
There’s a talk about bridges and I’m going to keep this to about 2 or 3 minutes
I did something last night that I haven’t done in the past 10 or 15 years. I actually wrote something down to say
I usually just take the temperature of the room then move forward. I got here and I talked to a few people
My friends, Jon Cumber from history said hey you’re speaking from us then somebody else said I saw you on television this morning
and a newsperson said you’re much more radical than Blaine. I said no, no, no
Blaine was incredibly radical
A radical is a revolutionary that works for change, that tries to define the world in a way that it hasn’t been defined, And that’s what Blaine did
I want you all to remember a few things
We have another person in this audience who is incredibly important now who we call the godfather of pan-African studies. Dr. Robert Douglas.
You can’t tell the story of Blaine Hudson and UofL pan-African studies without telling the story of Dr. Robert Douglas
Robert Douglas was the chair of pan-African studies before Blaine was moved to the faculty side
Bob made the decision that he wanted to bring Blaine on as a professor
not just in some staff position that wasn’t having as great of an impact as it should have
Administrators at the university at the time told Bob this is a foolish move. He’ll never get tenure
And Bob fought him. Because Bob is gangsta like that
and I’m proud to know him
So as I looked at the pictures today, they were showing pre-ceremony there was a picture of me, Blaine, Bob, John Carou, and Manning Marible
who was at Columbia University at the time. Now all of them are gone except me and Bob
And the way Bob is going, I might go before him
But I’m here to assure you that as long as Bob and I are around, everything’s going to be okay
And that’s important to say because Blaine would tell you that
There are a few things Blaine said to me, and I’ll close with a couple of them in reminder to what you’ve lost and what you need to do to move forward, I’m not a native Louisvillian
Please understand the nature of our position at the university
Most professors are socially awkward and rather isolable people who don’t play well with others
They’re most comfortable in their labs
doing their research that only 15 other people who study exactly what they study are going to read
It doesn’t have enough impact on the world
So I’m not telling a lie, I’m telling the truth
We have some professors are even uncomfortable coming into their own classrooms because they’re afraid to teach their students.
That wasn’t Blaine Hudson
So that’s what you have with professors
but they’re all very smart. My colleagues are very smart
And Blaine taught me when I was very young and crazier than I am now
now when I was involved with some social justice moves. He would say, well Ricky, I’ve experienced this
He said you have to be careful when you do social justice work and some of the people you’ll encounter.
He said it’s work where you lose a whole lot more than you win
You get isolated and over time that can beat up on you so badly that some people lose it
You have to be aware of the people who have lost it
He was able to bring the political acumen from the academy, and social justice sensibilities to the community with a strange amalgam that people rarely see
So he brought something very very different and that can’t really be replicated
Because also a consequence of our profession is the transplants. We’re not from here
With the death of Blaine and the retirement of Bob Douglas, we only have 1 member of our department who is even from the state of Kentucky
The commitment to this place, that Blaine had, to this state, to this city especially and to this university that he dearly loved
is very strange
Our close with him telling me this, Thurgood Marshall said this,
the great Thurgood Marshall said you do what’s right and you wait for the law to catch up
That’s what Blaine did. He always did what was right and he waited for the rest
of the city, the university or even the world to catch up
I think the University of Louisville has made strides because of that
Not just because of Blaine, certainly there have been some other great people
But he’s been able to partner with them to be able to do some incredible things
Understand this, the ethic of pan-African studies and black studies in general,
this is why I love this field, this is why I don’t teach political science department because it doesn’t have the same ethic
Academic excellence and social responsibility, you can’t just teach, you also partner with real people with real problems to make real change
I encourage all of you to take Blaine’s example
because he also said to me, you can do whatever you want to do if you’re very good at what you do.
First and foremost, be very good at what you do then you never have to be a coward Personally, or professionally
We all know that there’s more cowards than brave people sitting in this room and out in the world
Blaine wasn’t one of them. Listen to that poem that he wrote
But he said this and I’ll leave you with this, you move forward, take an example from Blaine. Be excellent
and be responsible. That’s the best way you could honor him
Also this in our time of mourning, God knows I haven't been so sad since my grandmother died
3 years ago
who was my mother, father, everything all rolled into one
and I remember sitting in Blaine’s office because his mother died a few months before my grandmother did
He said this to me, he said Ricky, you have to be careful
The one thing that you cannot do in this life, for this best times or the worst of times, you can’t get stuck
You don’t want to be the person talking about shots you made when you were a junior in high school,
and that’s the best thing that ever happened to you
And neither do you want to be the person who has the worst thing that happened to you
be it now or 15 or 50 years ago, define the rest of your life
You can’t get stuck
So I say this to you University of Louisville and Louisville as a city, remember Blaine Hudson
Remember excellence, remember responsibility
Remember righteousness
Don’t get stuck, individually and don’t get stuck collectively
The good times are here
And the last charge to the university, it just came to me, this is why I don’t write things down
I attended Morehouse College and everyday our greatest graduate was on display. Martin Luther King statue every day
We have another great, talented man in this room, Ed Hamilton, stand up
I strongly encourage the university of Louisville and the community to pull Ed in right now
to move fast as possible, get a statue of Blaine Hudson up on this campus
so we can see him every day as we move forward. Thank you.
Good afternoon. If I have to do this again, I think I’ll go before Ricky Jones.
My job here is to be boring, because while I would like to speak as Blaine’s friend
my role today is the chair of his department, the department of pan-African studies
I will therefore speak of his achievements as an academic
Blaine Hudson had a long list of accomplishments and has carefully recorded his work like a historian archiving an important documents
I almost had to pull out my calculator to do this summary
To begin, he received a bachelor of science in guidance and counseling
and a minor in history from the University of Louisville in 1974, and then a masters of education one year later
He went on to acquire his EDD in education administration with a minor in history from the University of Kentucky, the other university in 1981
Blaine’s educational background helps us to understand why he had such great passion for both education and history
He’s well known for the depth of his knowledge, not only in history, but almost on any topic, from astronomy to quantum physics
His students thought he was a walking encyclopedia.
He believed in a global education, and was himself a global thinker
As dean, he helped establish several study abroad programs
Blaine loved to travel and learn from his journeys because he believed that we were all connected
Blaine began his career here at the University of Louisville as a staff person in 1974.
He later joined the department of pan-African studies as an assistant professor in 1992, and was promoted to associate professor in 1998
when he also became the chair of the department and sometime made one of his greatest decisions to hire me
In 2005 he was awarded full professorship and took the position of dean in arts and sciences
The second African American to do so
As a faculty member, Blaine developed and taught over 24 courses
Supervised 75 independent studies, and served on 50 graduate studies committees
His classes were always filled and students were always hunting him down to be on their committees
Blaine was a consummate mentor to his colleagues and his many students, like Marlene who spoke earlier.
His passing has generated a new momentum
for example Sherry who may be with us, a formal UofL student who had dropped out of college is now enrolled this semester
and plans to graduate because of something which Blaine had said to her
Another African American mature person called us and he was insistent that he wanted to mentor PA students like how Blaine had mentored him
In addition to this tremendous impact as an educator
Blaine is also well accomplished research and writer with over 50 publications
including 3 books, chapters, 25 articles and 15 encyclopedia entries
He’s one of the most respected local historian and is responsible for 10 history markers. Blaine also had a creative side
And in his younger days, published numerous poems, including the one that was read today and is in your program
Blaine’s passing is indeed devastating to us all, in particular to the department of pan-African studies
In fact, we have lost 2 great men to us in the last 2 months. Professor Yohn Caroo and now Blaine
I tried to think about what Blaine would say to us at this time
and remembered my famous, or my most popular Blaine Hudson quote
folks, I need John’s heavy voice. Folks, this is a good problem to have, I never really understood what he meant until now
It Is a problem because he has left us and we are sad
t is good because we have been privileged to have the most outstanding mentors among us
Our hearts are heavy, but we are resilient because our mentor prepared us well and we will not let him down
On hearing the news, one of our students who is presently completing his PHD at Michigan State called to check on us
He said to me, prior to leaving Louisville, my husband, the other Dr. Talley told him and others that they had big shoes to fill
he said but he did not know how soon it would come
And I asked him, carefully, are you guys ready?
And he paused for a moment then he said yes, Dr. Rajack-Talley, we are prepared
So as we mourn the loss of our friend, mentor and advisor, Blaine Hudson
let us say in courage that he has seen many young women and men who are prepared to become great teachers
researchers, administrators, role models and community activists
His efforts to end social and racial injustice are in good hands and bright minds.
For Blaine, the department of Pan-African Studies was his pride and joy
His students we his motivation, his African American community, his people, the university has place to make a difference
When I do the math Blaine did not only give 100% to this university, he gave 200% and then some
Then in his spare time, he would serve on any community board, committee or event that required him
Then he would hang out at the Saturday academy
I would like to end by thanking Blaine’s family for sharing him with us.
We know the time spent away from loved ones was a great sacrifice to him and to you.
There’s absolutely nothing we can say to erase your pain and your loss
but seek comfort in knowing that when he was not with you, he was making the world a better place for us all.
Thank you so much, all of you that are here today
Thank you Theresa, I have to say about Theresa, when you wonder where you can get cool comprehensive intellectual analysis
Theresa was introduced to Blaine by me and he hired her
I have to write remarks so that I don’t get overly emotional
but I really appreciate what is taking place today and I’m so glad to see so many of you here
The family would like to thank the university for so quickly organizing this and live streaming it
so many that can’t be here, are able to participate
including his out of town children, in laws, recently discovered paternal cousins, his much admired comrade during his revolutionary days
and everybody else that loved him who could not be here
I want to thank my family and his cousin Charles’s family for their support during this difficult time
My sister-friends who have kept me sane over the years and over the last 6 months
The medical professionals who knew how to handle a tiger.
The Saturday academy regulars who helped Blaine and I develop into a unique communications team
And those who have sent us care packages, cards, and condolences. Thank you
Few realized that Blaine was an only child of older parents
Which too quickly evolved into he and I being the elders of a family that was blended with 6 children
Needless, to say, trying to save his life required our small family to have all hands on deck every day
Contrary to those reports by the uninformed, Blaine was out and about with all of us until he could no longer do so with ease
We did shopping trips, restaurants, secret campus crawls, doctor visits, and hospital stays.
After living for years so others might learn his circumstances changed to his learning so that he might live
Making that transition from others to self, was a big challenge for a man otherwise known as smart
We learned definitively that he was hard wired for helping others, and the family will remember this
when he emerged from anesthesia talking about work. Am I lying?
That meant the family had to circle our wagons and constantly redirect his focus to health and healing.
The violence reduction task force that originated from Saturday academy dialogue, we had to pull him away from it
In spite of his concern that the community remain in the forefront of the city’s efforts,
rather than becoming a well-managed partner
That was one of his concerns during his illness
We tried to move his mind away from all of the programs and all of the projects.
He took leave as dean, which he fretted over because he was unable to finish what he started
We attempted to distract him from his reconfigured academic plan in order to bring his attention back to self and health
We were seldom successful
In an age of iPhones, iPads, laptops,
Inand a wide range of folks who were used to his immediate replies to their questions or their needs
ironically when I reluctantly sent a flares about his needs
they were intercepted by disbelief that he would have needs
Or take help
Blaine was superman, but he was not superhuman
Those battles, in addition to fighting for responsive health care left the family emotionally devastated at his passing
We went from regularly competing with a thirsty community, an unquenchable campus
to competing with an aggressive cancer.
Ever the educator,
Blaine encouraged me to do something
with what we all learned from his health challenges and journey through the twilight zone
Imagine the insights gained and shared
among a scholar, his sociology trained caregiver, and their children raised to be critical thinkers.
We learned a lot about him, the courage of his children, Maya, Kenwin, Travis, Jabani, Nubia, and Jamison
About questioning medical authority, and about some shining stars in our medical community
One of whom is affiliated with the university and saved his life with the same humility
high level of expertise, and first rate people skills that his patient was known for
At Blaine’s best, what we learned, we will share for the benefit of the community
How can we honor Blaine’s memory in ways that don’t mythologize but energize
we can remember that he sought to expand consciousness
beyond subject content to examine his impact on the disadvantage
on the privileged, and on geopolitics
We can model Blaine’s consistency in these areas
A learner centered focus. Where do people need to learn?
Compassionate people management, what do people need to do their best. Facts over opinion.
What information do people need to replace myths and stereotypes?
Putting the greater good above pettiness
What one thing can we agree on to move forward? And of course, historical context.
What back stories are needed to inform present day issues and actions?
Whatever the unit of measurement, whether as individuals, groups, organizations as a university,
his model is a useful one for daily life.
Blaine was not a saint, but a man who truly lived this model with consistency at home and at work
We can also remember his commitment to pluralism, fairness and equality
Finally, we must never forget that Blaine was a brother from the hood, who made good,
always tried to do good and even stayed in the hood
but was a force for, and a friend to many different kinds of people
I hope the university will help the family protect his legacy. Thank you.
Bonnie, thank you so much for those words, and we, the University of Louisville
want you and the family to know that you’re in our thoughts and in our hearts
and that we will do everything that we can do, every day to protect that legacy
There are many ways we can do that, but that’s suggested and it’s time to get to work
To Bonnie and the Hudson family, the legacy lives on
Today we have honored the life and the legacy of a noted historian professor
One whose legacy was a life of service to others
Others, yes, others let this my motto be, help me to live for others that I might live with thee
Representing the University of Louisville Black Diamond Choir 2007 School of Music graduate, Miss Andrea Diggs.