Remembering Prof. Emeritus Rob Hudson, Pioneer in Social Policy & Aging

BU School of Social Work (BUSSW) is sad to announce that beloved emeritus faculty member Rob Hudson passed away on August 30th after a 17-year battle with cancer. 

Rob was an early voice and ongoing national leader in exploring the intersection of aging and social policy at both the federal and state levels. As founding editor of the Oxford University Press publication Public Policy & Aging Report for over a decade, Rob continually advanced the connection of policy and research to promote a more socially just aging experience for America’s diverse older population. 

In addition to holding faculty positions at Brandeis University and Fordham University, Rob was a professor of social welfare policy at BUSSW from 1985 until his retirement in 2019. During his tenure, he was chair of the Department of Social Welfare Policy (1988-2014), acting director of the Doctoral Program in Sociology and Social Work (2010), and acting associate dean for the Academic Affairs dept. (1995-96).  

“Rob always cherished the successes of others,” says Judith Gonyea, professor and current associate dean for Faculty Affairs at BUSSW. “In the last year of his life, Rob was overwhelmed by the friendship and support offered to him. ‘Team Rob’ was a nationally interconnected group of lifelong colleagues and generations of former students. I know that those of us at BUSSW will miss his wit and insights.”

Rob worked with three deans during his time at BUSSW. Dean Emeritus Hubie Jones offered this recollection, “Rob was a fabulous teacher of social welfare policy. The BU Provost who interviewed him before he was hired with tenure immediately called me and said, ‘Professor Hudson is one of the finest candidates that I have ever interviewed.’ Rob helped to elevate the scholarship standing of our School. I am ever grateful for the role he played in the transformation of BUSSW.”

Dean Emerita Wilma Peebles-Wilkins said, “Rob was an accomplished scholar and supportive senior faculty member from day one of my tenure at BUSSW.” Dean Emerita Gail Steketee reflected, “Rob and I arrived at BUSSW in the same year, though he was well ahead of me in career and a terrific hire by Dean Hubie Jones. His kindness in those early years helped me feel welcome. During my deanship, I had the pleasure of hearing Rob give an outstanding keynote speech at the GSA conference on aging. He spoke without notes in full sentences worthy of publication without edits – a remarkable skill that reflected his impressive academic skills. He was rightly proud of his edited quarterly Public Policy & Aging Report and of his several published books. A true scholar, Rob leaves behind a trail of students who carry on the fine academic traditions he embodied so well.”

Robert is survived by his wife, Perry Hewitt; his stepson, Tim King, and his fiancée Madelyn Lugli; his former wife, Kathleen Stein; and his nieces Leila Hudson and Aida Hudson.

Respecting Rob’s lifelong connection to the world of politics and justice, the family has requested in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).