Dr A. Ronald Hudson PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

It is a peaceful space that A. Ronald Hudson finds filled with restful moments amid the citrus groves. Here in the orchard, the lessons of harvesting and sowing remain a constant in life – in and out of the field.

Dr. A. Ronald Hudson, 93, sits at his home July 1, 2024 in Vero Beach. PHOTO BY NICK SAMUEL

“I would go in the grove, get on my tractor and forget about everything else,” said the longtime educator, of the therapeutic feeling he gets from minding the land, years after trading in a life of walking the school hallways and guiding students.

“I’m strictly a nature person,” said Hudson, who turned 93 on July 1, talking of tending to the soil, planting oranges and grapefruit about a mile from his Vero Beach home. Hudson worked in the citrus groves as a boy, like many of his peers, and had owned a grove since 1986. He said he sold the grove two years ago.

“The county condemned it because they wanted to extend the highway,” Hudson said of the citrus trees which were once located on 66th Avenue.

With peace, Hudson said, comes a time to reflect on the good, the bad and everything in between. And though the years have rolled on, the retired educator and lover of science enjoys sitting and thinking back over what he sowed, from tall leafy trees heavy with fruit to the former students he helped take root in the community.

In June, the educational leader was honored at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center – the afterschool program Hudson founded with Dr. William “Bill” Nigh and Dan K. Richardson – for his life’s work with a special proclamation declaring June 29 as Dr. A. Ronald Hudson Day.

The proclamation was presented by county commissioners during the ceremony, organized by Gifford Heritage – a community enrichment association.

“He’s inspiring. (Hudson) has been one of the most giving, dedicated individuals in the community for the longest time. He has worked passionately and proficiently. Anytime he had an issue, it was done with benevolence,” said Commissioner Joe Flescher, who presented the proclamation to Hudson.

Struggle

Hudson – who grew up in the Florida Panhandle – thinks back to when he was 11 years old and had to quit school to help his family. His life’s story – like many who grew up in the aftermath of the Great Depression and World War II along with Jim Crow segregation – is filled with other similar stories of perseverance, determination and grit.

“My dad got hurt at work. I had to help my parents out with my eight siblings. I spent two years working in groves and vegetable farms,” Hudson said. “I badly wanted an education.”

Hudson recalls riding in the back of a truck and seeing kids lined up, waiting to get on the school bus. The young boy eventually got back enrolled into school, but was met with criticism by other students and bullied. But there is no bitterness.

Dr. A. Ronald Hudson, at a celebration honoring his life achievements, on June 29, 2024 at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

“During that time, if a student quit school and went back, it was like coming back from prison,” Hudson said. “The teacher confronted me in class and said ‘what are you doing back here? You might as well go back to work.’

“I told her I came back to get my education.” It was at that moment that Hudson said he realized the importance of getting an education, something that would feed into his life’s purpose.

“I told myself if I teach, I wouldn’t treat students like that,” said Hudson, who eventually landed a job teaching chemistry, physics and math in 1957 in the School District of Indian River County, then a mostly agrarian coastal county with a 25,000 population, U.S. Census statistics show.

The highly-respected educator climbed the ladder, becoming the first Black principal at Vero Beach High School and the first Black Assistant Superintendent for Instruction in the school district. Hudson even earned his doctorate degree in psychology and school administration.

A community pillar

Community leaders and others see Hudson as a gardener of knowledge, planting seeds in the youth through mentorship, giving extra attention to those that needed it. The move to honor him with a special day of his own was the latest in a long life packed with achievements and accolades.

“He’s probably at the top of the role model list. He’s the mentor of mentors. He’s always ready to help and encourage the youth. If more people held his principles and thoughts in their actions, this would be a perfect place,” Flescher said.

Attendees gather to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. A. Ronald Hudson on June 29, 2024, at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

Dr. Deborah Taylor-Long, GYAC board chairwoman, said it’s important to give people like Hudson their flowers while the aroma is present for them to enjoy. Leaders say Hudson was focused on improving academics to increase the low Black high school graduation rate.

Over the years, afterschool programs like GYAC helped boost the Black high school graduation rate. More than 90 percent of Black students graduated from local public high schools for the 2022-2023 school year, according to data from the School District of Indian River County.

“Dr. Hudson has been a pillar to the community for many years and has always acted in the best interest of the citizens with and without their knowledge. A true leader such as he never wants recognition for the work that he does,” Taylor-Long said. “Such a man as Dr. A. Ronald Hudson will there ever be again in the Gifford community. He gives freely and unselfishly of his time, talent and treasure. May God continue to bless him all his days.”

Freddie Woolfork, GYAC’s longtime director of public relations and facilities operations, said Hudson had been a mentor to him since he was a young boy. Woolfork said Hudson was his neighbor.

“Hudson has inspired me not by what he says, but by what he does. He’s 93. He still mows his yard. He gets up at 8 a.m. to go to the Promise Keepers meeting. His disciplines are taking care of the home and body,” Woolfork said. “I mow my yard like him, spend time with my wife and go to church like him, and stay grounded like him. I model my life after him.”

The Gifford Historical Museum and Cultural Center, led by executive director Jonnie Mae Perry, issued a statement congratulating Hudson.

“Dr. Hudson, we recognize you as a Gifford pioneer and prominent leader in our community,” the statement reads. “Your lifetime contributions to Gifford and Indian River County will continue to have an impact for generations to come.”

Hudson said he appreciates the kindness and thoughtfulness from his peers. The educator said it’s human nature for a person to give back to, or sow into, their community.

“I’ve been blessed for people to provide me with opportunities. It’s only fitting to give back,” Hudson said. “I don’t give myself a whole lot of credit. Had it not been for other people supporting me, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do what I wanted to do.”

Science and space

Hudson was born in Tallahassee in the early 1930s. He said his family moved to Gifford – a small, predominantly Black community nestled near Vero Beach – when he was a young boy.

Hudson had built a strong work ethic laboring in the citrus groves in the heat of the day. He also worked for $2 an hour washing dishes at a local restaurant.

Dr. A. Ronald Hudson attends a ceremony honoring his life and accomplishments on June 29, 2024, at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

Hudson worked and worked, becoming steadfast on a mission to return to the classroom.

The math whiz graduated from Gifford High School in 1950. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Bethune Cookman College in 1957, a master’s degree in chemistry from Tuskegee University in 1965, a master’s degree in educational supervision and administration from Stetson University in 1968 and a Ph.D. in psychology and school administration from Walden University in 1979.

Hudson also got a job as a researcher with the National Science Foundation. The job offer came during the height of the Space Race, a time period during the Cold War where the U.S. and Russia competed for technological reign over the cosmos.

“Russia sent the Sputnik satellite into space. America was struggling to compete,” Hudson said of the beach ball-sized Soviet satellite that vaulted into the lower reaches of earth orbit in 1957.

The National Science Foundation reached out to people with science degrees.

“They wanted to be in competition with Russia. I was fortunate to get a scholarship to continue my education,” Hudson said. “The requirement was to spend time in education or research. The National Science Foundation tried to place minorities to get education in science and math.”

Hudson also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and served four years as a sergeant in the U.S. Army in the Korean War during the early 1950s.

A chemist at heart, Hudson said his love for science hasn’t dissolved. Hudson reads books on chemistry and enjoys studying changes and research in psychology, a discipline that would feed into his work as an educator working with youth.

The nature lover said he also reads literature about the now-faded citrus industry in Florida.

“We thrived on citrus growing up. My father worked in citrus groves most of his life,” said Hudson, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “My desire to own one was because I had to work with him.”

Full circle

Throughout the twists and turns in Hudson’s life, he always made it a goal to make an impact in education. The instructor was principal over five schools throughout his career in Indian River County.

Hudson said he became a principal at Rosewood Elementary School and encountered the same teacher who shamed him when he was a boy for returning to school. He handled the interactions with grace.

“I wanted to say to her, ‘do you remember when you asked me why I came back to school?” Hudson said. “I helped her with problems she had with students and with her career so she could retire. I always tried to help her. I guess she wished she was at another school when she found out I would be principal.”

Students and teachers observe one of the many science projects featured during a science fair July 26, 2024 at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

For community leaders, the commitment for Hudson to create an afterschool program to help the children of Gifford is one of his most lasting legacies.

Hudson, chairman emeritus at GYAC, said he is proud at how the nonprofit – serving nearly 250 students daily along with seniors – has grown over the years with programs teaching science, engineering and math. Hudson said he oversaw the construction process of the center – considered a crown jewel of the Gifford community – and also volunteered and selected the center’s first employees.

“It’s amazing what has happened down there,” Hudson said. “I have a high level of satisfaction.”

Hudson said he keeps up with new developments in education by reading documents from the American Association of School Administrators. He loves grabbing breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen with Love restaurant off Old Dixie Highway.

Hudson previously served as the director of the Gifford Community Center for 24 years. The community leader still volunteers at Mount Zion AME Church, where he is part of the board of stewards and the choir.

Hudson has been happily married to Jackye Hudson for 62 years and has two daughters, one son and three grandchildren. His oldest daughter Ronda Hudson-Ward is a professor at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.

Hudson’s son, A. Ronald Hudson Junior, nicknamed “Roc,” is a special needs teacher and music instructor at Sebastian Elementary School. Hudson’s second daughter, Vonda Jones Hudson, is a clinical psychologist with her own practice in Sebastian.

Exercise your purpose

Hudson stands next to his Florida Highwaymen painting inside his home. The painting – an homage to his love of citrus – depicts a lush grove surrounded by trees on a partly cloudy Florida day.

Dr. A. Ronald Hudson stands next to a Florida Highwaymen painting in his home July 1, 2024 in Vero Beach. PHOTO BY NICK SAMUEL

Hudson is brought back to his feelings of serenity in nature. The days are quieter. Many of those he grew up with are gone. He sits on his couch and thinks about the meaning of life and the nine decades that brought him to this point.

“Each of us has been placed here for a purpose. We need to somehow try to find out what our purpose is,” Hudson said. “As we decide our purpose, we need to provide every opportunity to exercise that purpose. Any purpose we decide should be helping our fellow men and women.”

Photos by Joshua Kodis