[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 3, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1116-E1117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP OF JOSEPH L. HUDSON JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 2003

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the extraordinary 
leadership of Mr. Joseph L. Hudson Jr. Mr. Hudson has been a committed 
civic leader in the greater Detroit area for over 45 years. Over the 
course of his lifetime, Mr. Hudson has served as a role model for not 
only his leadership abilities, but his dedication to his community, his 
church and, most important of all, his family.
  Born on July 4, 1931 in Buffalo, New York, Mr. Hudson was destined to 
be a strong figure in our Nation's landscape. Mr. Hudson joined the 
J.L. Hudson Company following graduation from Yale in 1953. Between 
1954 and 1956 he served as an artillery officer with the U.S. Army in 
Germany. In 1956 he returned to Hudson's, was elected a Vice President 
in 1957 and in 1961 became President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. 
Hudson retired from the

[[Page E1117]]

J.L. Hudson Company and the Dayton Hudson Corporation in 1982 after 
serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for ten years.
  In 1956 Mr. Hudson was elected to the board of trustees of the 
Hudson-Webber Foundation and served as President and then Chairman from 
1961 until his retirement in 1996. The Hudson-Webber Foundation is 
committed to improving the vitality and quality of life of the 
metropolitan Detroit community with special emphasis on the Detroit 
Medical Center, the arts, crime reduction, economic development and the 
communities' urban revitalization needs.
  Mr. Hudson's civic and community involvement includes service on the 
City of Detroit Arts Commission (Detroit Institute of Arts) where he 
served as President from 1979-1990; Active Honorary Trustee and 
founding Chairman of New Detroit, Inc., America's first urban 
coalition. Mr. Hudson has also received Honorary Doctor of Humanities 
Degrees from the University of Detroit, Wayne State University, and 
Michigan State University.
  In June of 2003, Mr. Hudson will complete 19 years as founding 
Chairman of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, 
Detroit, Michigan. Under his remarkable leadership, the Community 
Foundation has distributed more than $145 million in over 18,000 grants 
to improve the seven counties of Southeastern Michigan. The Community 
Foundation for Southeastern Michigan is one of the youngest and fastest 
growing of over 600 community foundations worldwide.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all my colleagues rise and join me in 
honoring Mr. Hudson's humanitarian achievements and tireless dedication 
to his community and church.

                          ____________________