Thomas E. Hudson, Sr. is a Model of Service in Macon’s Mist
by Clarence Thomas, Jr. (thomasjr63@gmail.com), MGI Contributor
The journey of personal and professional servitude for Thomas E. Hudson, Sr. began in his hometown of Midville, GA with words of encouragement from his mother and a pat on the back from a local role model. Looking back on his successes supports their acts not being in vain.
Hudson is well known by many for prominent roles on The Bibb County School District and Macon Transit Authority boards – where the 72-year-old retiree served as chairman of the former and as president of the latter.
But the job that caused him to light up the most when reminiscing during an interview with the Middle Georgia Informer last month was as a Community Service Counselor with the Middle Georgia Council on Drugs. “My life has been devoted to helping people. When you’re ordained to do something, you’re bound to be successful,” said Hudson.
He was hired there in 1975, two years after arriving in Macon and spent 38 years with the private nonprofit, whose function among many was violence prevention, combating substance abuse, and assisting residents with HIV related matters.
Assessing the needs of his clients and providing solutions to their challenges was Hudson’s initial responsibility as a counselor and usually led to viable alternatives to negative activities and behavior…and firsts for the elder statesman.
For instance, Hudson was the first fulltime Black employee at MGCD. By starting a defensive driving school at MGCD he became the first Black person in Georgia to oversee a school under the Georgia Drivers Improvement Act. And quiet as it’s kept, Hudson initiated the first community prevention program on AIDS in Macon.
Starting a community garden and the Rent A Teen program – a life-skills based platform for teenagers – were also outreaches he’s proud of creating too says Hudson. His love for youth also led to a collaboration with Fort Valley State University called MOVE or Music Oriented Valued Education, which used what he described as the universal language (music) to reach and teach young people enrolled in the program.
“It was a drawing card that allowed them to open up,” shared Hudson before recalling a young lady admitting to having been raped by her brother during a MOVE session at an Alternative School. “Alot of times people just need someone to talk to,” he suggested with tears welling up in his eyes. “Moments like that is what drove me. I believe in the youth and their future.”
Macon’s first Black mayor, C. Jack Ellis considers Hudson a friend and true public servant. Ellis reappointed him to the Macon Transit Authority and says he’s proud of Hudson’s tireless effort to ensure job security and access everywhere for those without private transportation. He also noted that Hudson prevented countless men and women from turning to drugs or rescued many from drug use because of his work with the Middle Georgia Council on Drugs. “The citizens of Macon-Bibb owe Tom a debt of gratitude for his selfless service to our community,” stated Ellis.
Education is important to Hudson and his life also reflects that. His mother instilled the value of being educated in him as a youth reminding him to always hold is head up and to be proud. In the absence of a father, it was a community role model, Jesse Chambers that reminded him that he was going to be somebody; taking the edge off the name calling he was subjected to because of his size and build. Hudson also gained much from his high school English teacher Reverend A.W. Russell, who was also his basketball coach.
Using their words as fuel Hudson would earn his college degree and pass on his pedigree to his children, Thomas Hudson, Jr., the supervisor at Macon-Bibb County Parks and Recreation’s Delores A. Brooks Recreation Center, and daughter Regina Simmons; along with his grandchildren Thomas III, Jasmine, and Jorden.
The capstone of his career as a proponent of education was membership on the Bibb County School Board – where he would serve in every capacity during his 12 years there including president. As a board member Hudson was instrumental in getting Southwest High School and Joseph B. Riley Elementary redone along with the former Southeast High School being renamed Ballard Hudson Middle School during its conversion.
Former BCSD Deputy Superintendent Sylvia McGee first met Hudson as his 1983 Leadership Macon classmate. She says he took his responsibility as a board member seriously always present and desirous of being a good servant leader, making certain that those with little to no voice were heard through his. “Tom will always be a champion for those who might have been left behind or didn’t have full access. He was proud to be a public servant who sought to always represent them,” she added.
Now in retirement, Hudson is looking to continue overcoming his health challenges as he records his personal and professional life as a memoir, a means of motivating others. “I want to leave a legacy,” he expressed. “It only takes one person to make a difference in people’s lives.”
