The happiest couple in heaven and Culver City this morning – Rick and Terri Hudson.
Having scaled together a tall mountain of memory in recent months, Mr. Hudson is celebrating in heaven, his widow in her Culver City home and at her Culver Glass business.
In the wake of weary sessions of political hopscotching around City Hall, the City Council voted unanimously last evening to name a baseball diamond for the beloved volunteer coach Mr. Hudson at Bill Botts Field.
Before the mood passed, the Council also saluted the achievements and memory of the most popular Chief Administrative Officer in recent times, the late Dale Jones, who served City Hall from the 1970s into the early ‘90s.
Hereafter, the frontal property of City Hall will be known as the Dale Jones Courtyard, best known as the site of the Summer Concert Series.
On this night, the main spotlight glare belonged to Mr. Hudson.
Shortly after Mr. Hudson’s sudden death in August 2014, Terri Hudson and an army of loyal friends began a campaign to memorialize her husband with naming a field where he left so much of his richly spent life.
“I am overwhelmed,” said the clearly emotional Mrs. Hudson after the 5-0 vote.
More than 20 persons signed comment cards to petition the City Council.
“This is a good day!” Mrs. Hudson said.
After the vote, Mayor Mehaul O’Leary asked the Hudson family and friends to rise.
Before Council members – all of whom knew Mr. Hudson – took up the matter, the Parks and Recreation Commission had debated the naming down to the most obscure rhetorical particle, delaying the naming by months.
The two-tiered smiles and expressions of gratitude from heaven and a certain Culver City home confirm that the City Council scored a bullseye.
Council Notes – Despite protests from bicycling advocates that not enough is being done to make this a truly bikeable community, the Council voted 5-0 to approve a streetscape plan for the transit-oriented-district that is Washington and National…City staff was directed to put out a request-for-proposals for hiring an outside consultant for the purpose of studying larger single-family homes and further R-1 development. Carlson Park will be the first study focus…
A big Thank you to all that helped this memorial happen, and everyone who attended the Council meeting and sent in emails. A special thanks to “The Front Page on Line: and Ari for keeping Ricks memory alive with all the wonderful stories. Also to our good friends Jerry Chabola and Gerry Biernat for spending countless hours on this issue. “Thanks”
The Jones family and Hudson family can only appreciate that the people in this City that truly care about someone besides themselves, now have the City Hall Courtyard and a baseball field named in their beloved’s honor. It is right and just that this has happened.
Both of these men gave so much in time, energy and vision to this City. Thank you.