Henry "Hal" Liddell Hudson, Jr.

Henry L. (Hal) Hudson, Jr. of Topeka, Kansas passed away on September 5, 2024. He was 90 years old. The son of Henry Liddell and Martha Virginia Burdette Hudson, Hal was born on January 16, 1934 in Anderson, South Carolina.

Hal married LaVona Ruth Gercken on June 7, 1959 in Garden City, Kansas. The couple shared great joy in raising their three children, sons Henry Liddell III (Hank) and Mark Samuel, and daughter Laura Susan. After LaVona was stricken with multiple sclerosis in 1965, Hal was a selfless caregiver until her death on October 10, 1978.

Hal married Norma Jean Hoover Allen on June 9, 1979. With this blending of families, he became patriarch of a large and growing clan.

Hal graduated from Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida in 1951 and attended Florida State University for two years before moving to Kansas to work in ad sales with Harris Enterprises, publisher of small town newspapers.

His career was interrupted in 1956 when he was called to serve in the U.S. Army. During most of his two-year tour of duty, Hal was editor-in-chief of the Jayhawk, the weekly newspaper of the VII Corps in Stuttgart, Germany. This assignment allowed him to travel throughout Europe, visiting its great cities and monuments.

He returned to the Harris newspapers, then held a series of positions in Kansas towns before arriving in Topeka in March 1966 to accept a position with Kennedy Publications. Here he demonstrated his exceptional writing skills, contributing content to Midwest Industry and Central States Construction magazines, ultimately elevating to the position of Executive Vice President with Kennedy.

In 1970, he began with the Kansas Power & Light Company. In his first year as Director of Publicity for KPL, he was author of the corporate annual report that received a Reddy Kilowatt Award as top utility report in the country. During the following two decades of service, Hal weathered the company’s many acquisitions and name changes, retiring as Director of Corporate Communications in 1992.

For the next two decades, he ran Hal Hudson & Associates, a firm specializing in public relations, lobbying and organizational management. His primary clients included the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and the Kansas Pest Control Association. After closing shop on this enterprise, he served as Sergeant-at-Arms for the Kansas House of Representatives.

Hal was active in the community in Topeka where he served in leadership roles with the Topeka Press Club, Topeka Chamber of Commerce, the Topeka Club, and the Topeka West Rotary Club. In retirement, he volunteered at the information desk at Stormont-Vail Hospital. He was an avid Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas City Chiefs fan and a steadfast member of the Republican Party.

Hal’s faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was central to his life. His knowledge of scripture was encyclopedic, and the promise of salvation brought him peace. He expressed and deepened this faith by worshipping at Faith Lutheran Church for nearly sixty years. He was an active congregant, serving on many committees and two terms as president of the congregation.

Hal Hudson’s passing is mourned by friends and family, including his wife Norma, son Hank (Jeanne) of Topeka; daughter Laura of Gainesville, Florida; son Mark (Julie) of Arlington, Virginia; and step-daughters Kathleen Duncan and Kala Hisel of Topeka, as well as nine grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren, and a great-great grandson.

Services will be held at Faith Lutheran Church on Tuesday, September 10 with a visitation at 10:00 a.m., funeral at 11:00 a.m. and burial at Mount Hope Cemetery immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in memory of Hal Hudson to Faith Lutheran Church, 1716 Gage Blvd., Topeka, Kansas 66604.

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