Dr. Arthur J. Hughes – Lucky to Have Known Him
I received a call from a friend who asked me if I heard that Dr. Hughes died. Time felt like it stopped and for a few seconds, I felt the silence that people often feel when they find out someone has died. Dr. Hughes was not only one of the best teachers I ever had, but he was an amazing human being. If you happen to wander upon this page and knew him, I’m sure you would echo the same thoughts.
I met Dr. Hughes my sophomore year at St.Francis College and I took a class with him every semester thereafter. I was a history major and he was the head of the history department. Dr. Hughes’ lectures were thought-provoking. He really loved history and culture and wanted his students to experience it. It was at St. Francis that I started to love history because of the amazing people who taught history there. Dr. Hughes was the author of several books.
Dr. Hughes really loved sharing his knowledge. He ran seminars for senior citizens to attend at the college with the students. Dr, Hughes woke up early on Saturday morning to tour NYC – I remember he took us to the pier and we saw amazing art – it was all made of gold and imported as an exhibit for just a short time. Dr. Hughes has us try Middle Eastern as he arranged for us to go to a Middle Eastern Restaurant on Atlantic Avenue. He sat with us and told us about the food and he told stories – great stories…..real great stories.
When I knew Dr. Hughes, I was a young woman. He was so encouraging and he pushed me to work harder and get involved at school. What else could a young woman in college need? I loved helping him run events and just being around him because he was so positive. Dr, Hughes was someone who lived life well. His love of life and teaching was always obvious. He’s someone I will always admire and I was fortunate enough to know. They say that everyone has ten pivotal people in their life – he was one of my ten.
RIP – Prayers for Dr. Hughes’ family (you were the real light of his life and he loved to tell us about you)
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Hugs,
marlene
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