LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville’s College of Arts and Sciences will honor former dean and longtime professor J. Blaine Hudson with a Feb. 27 posthumous induction into its Hall of Honor.
The 4 p.m. induction ceremony and reception at the University Club are free and public, but reservations are requested by calling 502-852-6490 or registering at uofl.me/as-hallofhonor2014 by Feb. 24.
Instituted during the college’s 2007 centennial celebration, the Hall of Honor recognizes alumni, faculty and others who have made significant, lasting contributions to the college, university, local community and society.
Hudson died last January after serving as dean from 2005 to 2012. He taught history and Pan-African studies classes for years while serving in various administration posts. He chaired the Pan-African studies department and was an associate and then acting dean of the college from 2004 to 2005 before assuming its lead position after a national search.
He had been chair of the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission and had served his native state on many historical, educational and civil rights panels, receiving numerous honors for research and public service. While dean, he spent most Saturday mornings teaching African world history and culture sessions at the Saturday Academy, a community outreach program now named in his memory.
His publications included the books “Two Centuries of Black Louisville: A Photographic History” with Merv Aubespin and Kenneth Clay, “Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad” and “Fugitive Slaves and the Underground Railroad in the Kentucky Borderland.”
Hudson earned his doctorate in higher education administration from University of Kentucky and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from UofL.
For more information, contact Lindsey Ronay at 502-852-3252 or Lindsey.ronay@louisville.edu