Thomas W. Hudson Endowment Fund
The Hudson Fund was established in 1996 in memory of Thomas W. Hudson, an avid sailor on Atwood Lake. Tom was a member of the Sailing Buckeyes and Atwood Yacht Club. The fund was created to support preservation and conservation projects for Atwood Lake including, but not limited to, shoreline restoration, dredging and reforestation. In 2001, the Hudson Fund became a component fund of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation, a publicly supported charitable organization.
Click HERE to donate to the Thomas W. Hudson Fund.
For more information, call (330) 556-4810 or toll-free at (877) 363-8500 extension 2222.
The following article and picture appeared in the Fall 1995 issue of Lake Views, newsletter of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.
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Our Friend, Tom
by John Hoopingarner
CAPRICIOUS LOG
29 July 1995
The smell of the lake is gently laced in the humid evening air. The red glow of the horizon signals the end of another day. The only pressure felt is barometric. The only strain is in the diesel as Capricious eases into her slip on F dock, at Marina West on Atwood Lake.
Two weeks ago, our friend, Tom Hudson, would have been waiting there with dock lines in hand, ready to offer assistance. In his easy way, the lines would pass from his hands to mine. Tom understood the extreme pleasures of man and boat: the exhilaration, the silence. Good for the soul.
We might sit together awhile, with steel drums ringing from the stereo as we "splice the main brace." I think Tom enjoyed his time at the lake so much because he could trade one reality for another. Atwood allowed Tom to be a Sailing Buckeye, or to make an appearance as a guest employee of Marina West. Paint the sky. As we talk of the day, he might say, "I love this place!" And I would agree.
The lakes and lands of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District have fostered many friendships and created precious memories. Each of us has our own special reason for what we come here to enjoy. Although the focus of the Conservancy District is conservation and flood control, we must not lose sight of the subtle, yet very important part of our mission: ...to enhance the quality of life in the Muskingum Lakes region, and beyond.
The camaraderie and good times experienced by people we serve is a measurement of our success. A special bond connects those who know the pleasures of our nature: the sun, the rain, the wind and the water. The beauty of the lake and the vast opportunities it provides.
In the lifetime of Tom Hudson, quality was important and I am satisfied that the Conservancy District did its part to enhance it. Tom made sure of that. Whether pushing it to the limit or in quiet contemplation, Tom used every opportunity to make the lake part of his life.
Two weeks ago, after a week long respite at Atwood Lake aboard The Far Side, Tom's life on Earth ended. He was on his way home, just a few miles from the Marina, when tragedy struck. The best that can be said is he died while he was living: the exhilaration, the silence.
Perhaps my ten year old daughter, Katie, said it best with the words she wrote several days after Tom's death:
He Meant A Lot to Me
I'll never see him riding down the lake
On his waverunner making wake.
I'll miss looking to see, if he is in his dinghy
He meant a lot to me.
Sometimes he would anchor out
And we would see him about.
He never said anything bad, and that is why I'm so sad
He meant a lot to me.
- Katie Hoopingarner
To his wife, Leslie, our arms are open, ready to hold you.
To Tom, our sails are unfurled, ready to envelop your soul.
To all who have yet to experience the quality of life in our Conservancy District, our effort will continue, ready to fulfill our mission.
