The loss of an administrator brought together the MHS community Sunday, Dec. 19, to honor Senior Principal Carl Hudson.

Wednesday, Dec. 15, Hudson passed away due to an extended illness, and Rhonda Costa, senior secretary, immediately began preparations for a memorial service where students, faculty, family, friends and more were given the opportunity to speak about Hudson’s impact on their lives.

“We knew we wanted to do something to honor him, but we really didn’t know how,” Costa said. “Everybody just kind of pitched in to make it happen.”

Costa said there were several hundred people in attendance over the course of the evening and a large number watching virtually as the service was live streamed on YouTube. 

Costa also made buttons to hand out to attendees which are still available in the senior office. In addition to a picture of Hudson, the buttons also include a Bible verse that he often shared: Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my Light and Salvation: whom shall I fear?” 

“The main goal was to have it for the family, so they could each have one and I thought for his service for his church,” Costa said. “Mr. Hudson had a big reach of friends from different schools.”

Former MHS Associate Principal Lisa Kaczmarczyk, who has been filling in as the senior principal, said the event went perfectly.

“It was tasteful. It was honoring. It was not over the top which Mr. Hudson would have been ticked off about,” Kaczmarczyk said.

Scheduled and impromptu speakers shared memories during the two-hour service. 

Gazelle Johnson, junior vice president of the Marquette Academic Cultural Club (MACC), was one of the students who shared her experience with Hudson. Hudson sponsored MACC.

“Mr. Hudson was great, and I’m actually gonna miss him. It doesn’t feel real honestly,” Johnson said at the memorial. “This was my freshman year, and he gave me an entire bag of peanut M&Ms, and he was like, ‘Do great things today’.”

Carson Hanis, senior, served as Hudson’s office aid and has known Hudson his entire life. He helped organize the memorial and went to Hudson’s house with other staff and family members to decorate for the holidays.

“He really taught me how to be a great leader,” Hanis said. “[He] really instills values of giving, caring and being thankful for everything being given and earned.”

Hanis said Hudson was a man who truly cared about his community and was an alderman for the city of Manchester, a reverend for his church, a teacher at Kirkwood and an administrator at Parkway South and Marquette.

“He is definitely well loved. He’s a fantastic man,” Hanis said. “He did everything he could for his students, for the community.”