David V. Hudson Jr.

Dave was born on the 1st of February 1927 in Bejing, China. His parents, Drs. David & Margaret Hudson were medical missionaries. Three months later, the Hudsons returned to the U.S. to teach at the University of Iowa Medical Center. At the end of 1929, the Hudsons moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where Dave would spend his childhood years. While in Tulsa, Dr. Margaret Hudson established a program which continues to provide help and support to teenage mothers.

He graduated from Central High in 1944 (seventh out of a class of one thousand). After studying aeronautical engineering at Texas A&M, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for one year, Dave was drafted into the Navy V12 program. After an honorable discharge in 1946, Dave attended the University of Utah earning a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a minor in Engineering (1947) and a Master of Science in Economics (1948). Dave returned to MIT and worked on his doctorate in industrial economics two years completing all of the work except the dissertation.

In 1950, Dave went to work for American Airlines in Tulsa. While in Tulsa, Dave met and married Donna Godsey. Their wedding was on September 27th, 1952. Their only child, Janet Diane (Colton) was born in 1956.

After working for American Airlines for 6 years as an economist, the family moved to Houston. While working for Humble Oil and Refining Company, Dave finished his PhD in 1961. In 1966, Dave took a position with Standard Oil, Eastern Division in New York City. The family lived in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. In 1971, Dave transferred to Houston and continued his economic studies of the Asia Pacific region for ESSO Eastern. In 1986 Dave took early retirement from Exxon. In 1987, he became a senior policy advisor for the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI, now the National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL) in Denver, Colorado. After his retirement in 1992, Dave continued to provide consulting to NREL on global energy economics.

Dave’s personal interests included golf, gardening and church activities. Dave was an Elder, Deacon and Trustee in the Presbyterian Church. He also enjoyed singing in the choir. Dave volunteered his professional expertise at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. As a volunteer for the IRS/AARP tax program, Dave helped people complete their tax forms.

Dave was predeceased by his parents; and his brother, John. He is survived by his wife, Donna Godsey Hudson; daughter, Janet Hudson Colton and her husband, Tim; and grandsons, Gregory Hudson Colton and Christopher Steven Colton.

The memorial service is to be conducted at three o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 7th of October, in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, 5300 Main Street in Houston. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Fellowship Hall.

Prior to the service, the family will have gathered for a private interment service at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions in Dave’s name may be directed to the Houston Symphony, 615 Louisiana St., Ste. 102, Houston, TX, 77002; The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX, 77210; or to the Margaret Hudson Program, 1515 S. 71st East Ave., Tulsa, OK, 74112.