COAL Newsletter - Spring 2011

Page 1

Expressions NewHorizons Arts & Letters

publication thefriends alumni and friends of The of College & Letters A publication for Athe alumni for and of The College Arts of & Arts Letters Missouri State University • Spring 2011 • Volume 5 • Issue 2 Fall 2006 • Volume 1 • Issue 1

Alumna becomes benefactor to help future students achieve, inspire others to give back by Christina Swaters

T. Beth Hudson, pictured here as a 1963 graduating senior (left) and as a proud alumna (right), is giving back to her program in honor of the professor who inspired her.

The inspiration to support your alma mater can come from many places. For alumna T. Beth Hudson, her time spent as a student at Missouri State led her to donate to a scholarship in the English department. Hudson, a 1963 English graduate, says her Missouri State experience helped her find a role model and developed her lifelong love of the arts. “When I think about schools I would support I don’t think about the University of Arkansas, where I went to graduate school, or of Florida State, where my oldest daughter attends,” Hudson says. “Missouri State is the school that launched me into academic pursuits and my love for art.”

Working with a role model Hudson was a student assistant to Dr. Richard Haswell, who was then the English department head. Together they surveyed regions for language differences and worked on other research projects. Hudson discovered that Haswell was a scholar who demonstrated a deep interest in young people.

“He told me that I could do any number of things, and his knowledge was amazing to me,” Hudson says. “He would even send me Christmas cards; he always kept up with his students.” Hudson had not seen much of life or the world until she came to Missouri State. A Springfieldian by birth, she went to Parkview High School and started at Missouri State on her 18th birthday. “Dr. Haswell was an academic model for me,” Hudson says. “He represented everything that I could do.” That’s why she decided to support the Richard Haswell Memorial Scholarship.

Encouraging others to give back One of Hudson’s favorite Missouri State memories is the commencement speech she gave as valedictorian of her class, in which she recalled all the hard work that led to her graduation day. Hudson wishes to pass on similar positive experiences to students who come after her in the English program, and she hopes her generosity inspires someone else to help. “I’d like to see more people contribute,” Hudson says. “It doesn’t have to be a lot — but just a little from everyone who has succeeded thanks to Missouri State will help.” continued on page 5


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