Bayou Icon | Heart for Service

ARTICLE BY GEORGIANN POTTS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Loretta Hudson has lived in North Louisiana nearly all of her life. She grew up playing outdoors with the farm animals and running around and swimming with her siblings. These were special times where Loretta learned the importance of love, family, and lending a helping hand. When she enrolled at Northeast Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana Monroe), she intended to become a nurse. After a year, Loretta changed her major to social work – a career in which she believed that she could make an even bigger difference in people’s lives. By a stroke of good luck (for Loretta and for us), Loretta discovered that there was a position open at the Ouachita Council on Aging just at the time she was considering a career change. The rest is history, and today Loretta is Executive Director there. Because of her lifelong pursuit of ways to help others and because of her caring heart for our seniors, Loretta Hudson is our November BayouIcon.

Growing up in rural North Louisiana is a special time for many children. It was for Loretta June Lowery. There is freedom to play in the great outdoors, to swim in the creeks, and to learn the value of hard work. Loretta Hudson describes her own childhood as being one filled with “. . . learning experiences, challenges, love, and family.” 

Loretta was the eldest of three children born to Josh Lowery and Annalizer Singleton. There was one boy and two girls all of whom loved each other and their parents dearly. Loretta’s father was from Alto, and her mother was from nearby Winnsboro – both rural Louisiana towns. Her dad sharecropped farmland with his father for years. Loretta describes the family’s lifestyle as very modest, but with a work ethic that was strong and honest.

The Big City Beckons
When Loretta was three years old, her father moved the family to Oakland, California, in an effort to find a better life for his family. That move was more than geographical – it was a culture shock. “This city life was very different for us,” Loretta remembers. “There weren’t early morning wakeups to go to the field to work, or late evenings working the land.” 

The family remained in California for six years before Loretta’s parents separated and divorced. The marriage had broken because her father often had to spend too much time working away from his family. Loretta’s mother moved her children back to Winnsboro and then to Monroe to become a nurse’s assistant and work at St. Joseph Nursing Home. She later remarried when Loretta was a teenager and Louis Nicholson from Ruston became Loretta’s step-father.

Home to Louisiana
While she was living in California, Loretta deeply missed the happy feelings that came when she was running and playing with her siblings, eating homemade baked sweet potatoes that had come straight from the farm. She also missed picking black berries and then having her mother make homemade pies from them. “The smell of sweet berries and lemon – aromas that came from Mother’s kitchen when she was baking – those would bring us running home every time!”

Loretta also missed the large family gatherings that accompanied the holidays. “There were always large meals and family members congregated to enjoy the Thanksgivings, Christmases, and Easter Sundays,” Loretta says. “I missed that from my country life.”

Loretta entered Swayze Elementary School and later graduated from Richwood High School. She was very active while in school, enjoying belonging to a number of organizations. She participated in Beta Club, the choir, and the science club. Football and basketball games found Loretta cheering for her team as a member of the pep squad. “The sound of the band was my absolute favorite!” Loretta recalls. “You could hear the drums in rhythmic beat and the band marching to the field.  It was very exciting to be part of this activity.”  

Loretta was also a member of Y-Teens at Richwood High. This organization is similar to the Girl Scouts and provides mentors for young teens. Through Y-Teens Loretta was involved in a number of community activities designed both to help her to make friends and to contribute to her community. One of the community activities that Loretta remembers vividly was when her group visited St. Joseph Nursing Home and passed out gifts and cards to the residents. “I can still remember the looks on the seniors’ faces,” Loretta says. “I remember how happy they were seeing us. That left an indelible impact on my life.”

Loretta’s family has a distinguished record of military service. Her step-father served in the Army, and re-enlisted in the 1990s during the Persian Gulf War. Her brother Anthony Nicholson served in the Army, and her sister Charlisa Tindall served 25 years in the U.S. Navy. Loretta was taught at a very young age the importance of hard work, honesty, faith, family, and friends as one’s support system. She would lean on that support system more often than she could have imagined.

Pursuing Education and a Career 
When Loretta graduated from Richwood High, she thought that she knew exactly what she wanted to do – further her education and become a nurse. The summer after her high school graduation, she enrolled at Northeast Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana Monroe) and declared nursing as her major. It would only take two semesters for Loretta to find the field of study that she was meant to pursue: social work. 

After consultation with her advisors Loretta realized that a career in social work would suit her better. “I knew in my heart and spirit that I’ve always had a desire to help others and make my things better for people around me and my loved ones,” Loretta explains. “I guess you can say this was my passion. It started at an early age by helping neighbors, going with my mother to help clean houses for some of the sick and elderly church members. Although I loved spending time with my friends, I always found helping others to be more rewarding and purposeful in some way.” 

Changes and Challenges
The first several years at NLU were good, productive ones for Loretta. She worked as a student worker in the Testing and Guidance Office in the Administration Building where all student testing (ACT, SAT, etc.) was done. Loretta also worked as a data entry clerk at State Farm to make extra money.

Loretta found love and married Calvin Hudson, Sr. during those university years. Calvin, too, had a military background having served in the U.S. Navy. The two met first while she was practicing tennis and he and some friends were playing basketball nearby. “We seemed to have instant chemistry,” Loretta remembers. “We talked for hours after everyone left.” They dated some but it was not until several years later that they met again and began seriously dating. Calvin had three children (Neal, Junior, and Mae) from a previous marriage. When Calvin and Loretta married, Loretta’s stepchildren were teenagers. 

All was going to plan until Loretta received devastating news from her mother in a phone call at 3:00 a.m. one Saturday morning. Loretta’s sister had been killed in California, leaving three children – Ashton, Torian, and Norman — behind. (Later the Court would give Loretta and Calvin custody of the boys.) Loretta and her family flew to California to arrange for bringing her sister home for burial. “It was the most excruciating loss that I could have experienced at that time,” Loretta says. “It was the most unimaginable hurt you could experience. I would have never imagined this type of loss, but through prayers and our faith, support from friends and family, we weathered the storm and reared three young boys into three strong young men. Today they are raising their own families.”

It would be some time before Loretta would be able to return to school to complete her education. In the meantime, as she and Calvin reared their step-children, they also reared three more children – grandchildren Bre, Kayla, and Brandon. Although they did not have biological children together, the couple’s blended family is beautiful.

Calvin and Loretta both worked hard to care for their family. Calvin worked as an Autobody Repair Instructor at Delta Ouachita Vo-Tech in Calhoun for almost 20 years. At that point he retired and started Hudson’s Collision Center in Monroe.

Loretta was able to restart her education. She completed her B.A. degree in social work in 1985 and began her professional career at North Monroe Hospital and later at St. Francis Medical Center as a medical transcriptionist. She also worked for a time as a substitute Pre-K teacher at Our Lady of Fatima. 

Finding Her Way to Non-Profits
Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn that for the moment seems to spell disaster. Often, however, that seeming disaster is merely a new door of opportunity opening wide. Loretta’s successful career as a medical transcriptionist had been brought to an end when she developed severe bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Surgery was required. Loretta focused on that surgery and getting healed. She could figure out a new career path later, she decided.

On several occasions during this time Loretta volunteered at the Council on Aging (CoA) by helping with their Commodities Food Distribution. She enjoyed the work very much and felt productive. While volunteering there, someone told her that there was a position open for Nutrition Director if she would like to apply.  

After a meeting with the CoA Executive Director, Lynda McGehee, the decision was easy. Loretta had known McGehee, for years as a friend and mentor. McGehee had always encouraged Loretta to continue her education and develop her social work career. “She always encouraged me to be true to who I am and to continue to live my life on my terms, no matter the challenges.” Loretta remembers. “She told me that she knew that I had what it takes to do great things.”  

McGehee was one of many individuals who encouraged Loretta and were essential mentors. A former CoA board member, Mr. Wyche Ashcraft, who has now passed away, was one. However, it is her seniors CoA clients and coworkers who have been her best encouragers. “They always lift me up and let me know that they think I’m doing a great job, and that they are thankful for me,” Loretta says. “And I am grateful for them!”

With encouragement from many, Loretta continued her education and earned a M.A. in Gerontology in 2014 and a M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling 2018. She graduated magna cum laude and was named to Chi Sigma Iota, an international honor society for professional counselors. Loretta was licensed by the State of Louisiana as an LPC (Louisiana Professional Counselor) in 2021 after earning the required 3,000 hours. 

Some Lighter Moments
When asked what her most memorable and funniest experience has been while working with CoA, Loretta is quick to respond. She was working with a group of senior men who were sitting where they always sat – their favorite table that they called “The Naughty Boys.” “I asked them what type of Bingo prizes would they like for me to get for them. One immediately responded, ‘Mrs. Hudson, we don’t care what you get. We don’t come for the Bingo prizes – we come to meet women!’” With that, Loretta says they all burst out laughing.

Loretta and her family have enjoyed some travel, too. Her favorite trip was when her family went to Las Vegas for her son’s wedding. They made a side trip to see the Grand Canyon. “That was the most wonderful experience and beautiful site to see!” Loretta says. Another great trip was when she visited her siter in New York and they went to Broadway. There they saw NeNe Leakes (one of The Real Housewives of Atlanta stars) perform. A very special family trip was to Atlanta to share with her children Dr. Martin Luther King’s fountain, the home where he lived, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he worshiped as a child.

Loretta and Calvin also enjoy traveling to their children’s football games and other family functions of her large blended family. One of her step-grandsons, Tyler, made it to the NFL draft and played briefly for the Los Angeles Rams. He was later drafted by the Ottawa Redblacks, a professional Canadian football team. “It is overwhelmingly gratifying to see your children live out their dreams because of hard work and commitment,” Loretta says.

Plans for the Future
The CoA is in good hands with Loretta. Together with others on her team, Loretta has updated some of the organization’s marketing strategies. They are incorporating social media more to advertise both the agency and its activities. Updates through Facebook and their webpage have helped to grow their audiences. Now they are capturing pictures and videos to post online. “These give our participants and their families a direct image experience of what is happening at the agency,” Loretta says. “We have participants whose families live all over the country and sometimes they respond to the pictures and this seems to keep them informed of what their family members are doing.”

Another focus is on keeping CoA clients involved in the latest technology by offering classes on how to use the computer. “This way they can learn to navigate the internet for their insurance, banking, or communicating with family members through social media, Facebook, and Facetime,” Loretta says with a smile. 

Foremost in Loretta’s mind is to maintain a warm, friendly environment that is welcoming to everyone. One way that she ensures that this continues is by constantly collecting feedback from her seniors. “They have a strong voice in what we do at the agency,” Loretta adds.

Loretta predicts that the next trend in eldercare will be health and wellness initiates. Seniors are living longer because of better health care and healthier lifestyles. She believes that we need to invest more revenue to accommodate the needs of this growing group of our population.

Loretta’s Greatest Influence
Loretta lost her mother to breast cancer in 2009. Clearly, her mother was the most important influence in Loretta’s life. She remembers her mother’s laughter, smile, generosity, warmth, compassion, and — most of all — her love. “She was a very giving person and the most selfless person I have ever met,” Loretta says. “I think that she would be proud of the young girl she raised who became the strong, self-reliant woman with desires, dreams, and passions that have become my purpose in life.” 

We think she would be proud of Loretta, too. Loretta’s is a life well-lived, with courage, faith, and a helping heart. Her mother’s words still echo in Loretta’s heart: “It’s okay to fall down, but don’t stay down too long. Get back up and God will continue to see you through.” Those words are Loretta’s compass as she navigates through life.