Get to know Providence Associate David Hudgens

Tell us about yourself: where you are from, family, career, etc.

I am from New Goshen, Indiana (10 minutes north of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods). I have lived in this area my entire life. My wife and I have been married 25 years and have one daughter. She is a graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and is currently an English teacher at West Vigo High School (WVHS). My daughter is also a student at WVHS and participates in her class Senate.

I attended Indiana State University and graduated with a degree in printing management and a minor in packaging technology. After college I was a production supervisor at Sony DADC and then North American Lighting, combined for more than 20 years.

A little more than two years ago, I had an opportunity to advance in my career as a manufacturing engineer with Acuity Brands Lighting in Crawfordsville, Indiana. I thoroughly enjoy my job there. It gives me the chance to be an active partner in ensuring we make production goals. I spend every day working with multiple team members on safety, quality and process improvements.

The knowledge and experience I gained from my time as a supervisor really helped me when taking the operator impact into consideration when making changes to processes and procedures.

What are you passionate about and why?

I am passionate about nature. I very much enjoy being out in it either hiking, walking through the woods, or in the occasional trip to State and National Parks. We try to be good stewards here with our garden, chickens and bee keeping.

We own farm ground near New Goshen and have partnered with a farming family who also believes in and practices sustainable soil management.

List three things that someone who wants to get to know you should understand about you.

1. I am a weather fanatic. Somehow early in elementary school I watched a documentary about tornadoes on the Discovery Channel. I have been hooked ever since. I later obtained my Amateur Radio License and was a trained storm spotter. We would go out into open areas and report back to the National Weather Service any severe conditions. It wasn’t quite like Twister, but it was still a lot of fun. Don’t be surprised if out of the blue ask I you how much do you think the average cloud weighs? (Google it and you’ll be amazed.)
2. There are a lot of things I have taught myself how to do in the past few years. Brewing and wine making, small electronics projects using Arduinos and Raspberry Pi, woodworking and carving. You could say I am a jack of all trades, master of none. But I do enjoy these hobbies.
3. I love all types of auto racing, especially open-wheel. More than once I have watched a complete 24 Hours of Le Mans or Daytona. I also try to watch or listen to the Cubs every chance I get.

What are your favorite ways to spend your time?

Gardening, taking care of our small flock of chickens, hiking, camping and Geocaching have been my favorite ways to spend my time in the past few years.

What drew you to the Providence Associate relationship?

Living in this area, I have always been around Saint Mary’s and when my wife was working there in the Woods External Degree (WED) department and taking classes, I got to spend some time on the campus. I was really drawn to the story of Saint Mother Theodore and tried to learn more about her and the struggles of making her journey to the area, her faith and her legacy.

Her story inspired me, and one day I found a mention of the Providence Associates program online. I immediately knew I wanted to be involved in something that was tied back to her and the Sisters of Providence. I have enjoyed the opportunities to attend the annual retreats, meeting people from many backgrounds and hearing their stories.

Tell about your experience as a Providence Associate

Being “local” I feel like I have had a special opportunity to be able to be a Providence Associate and to be able to visit the Sisters at any time. Working with Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Knoblock, I was able to let her know my interests of being outdoors and wanting to volunteer with the White Violet Center.

She put me in contact with Tara and John Michael who gave me some tasks around the Alpaca habitats. I truly enjoyed the volunteer duties, and later on I was asked if I wanted to do some activities directly with the alpacas on weekends.

For the past few months, I have been spending my Saturday mornings opening up and taking care of the female alpaca barn. It’s not all glitz and glamor; my initial training was intensive in poo management.

But that being said, I realize how truly lucky I am to be given the opportunity and responsibility of being able to work with these animals, even if my trunk now smells a little weird from my muck-out boots.

Who was your companion in becoming a Providence Associate? Tell us about that process   

My companion during the beginning of my journey as a Providence Associate was Sister Ann Margaret O’Hara.

I enjoyed my meetings with her because I was able to come after work and go over the workbook and lessons with her.

We learned a lot about each other’s lives. She told me of her childhood and later life as a teacher and administrator. She has really had some colorful experiences.

Sister Ann Margaret liked to hear about my daughter and her dance recitals. One December my daughter’s dance school came to Providence Health Care to perform their Christmas program. I made sure Sister Ann Margaret had front row seating. 

What does being a Providence Associate mean to you?

It means the opportunity to give back and carry on Saint Mother Theodore’s vision. I often wonder what she would make of all of this, and I believe she would be happy that so many people are working in their communities to continue on the charism she held dear.

What are your hopes for the Providence community into the future?

I hope that more of the generations younger than me will be inspired the way I was and join the Providence Community in one way or another. I’m aware numbers and involvement in any type of organization anymore has become a challenge.

I have tried to show the activities I have been involved with in my social media feeds as well in general conversations. It makes me feel good when someone asks me what a Providence Associate is. I have directed a few to check out the web page at ProvidenceAssociates.org.

Anything else you would like to add?

I chose Theodore as my confirmation name because I wanted to always be reminded of the impact Saint Mother Theodore made on me, both in my decision to become Catholic and in my decision to join the Providence Associates.