Curtis Randolph (Randy)Hudgins III, known lovingly as “Hudge” by his huge circle of friends, of Crozet and Moon, lived a life of deep dedication to teaching, coaching, and mentoring young people. His legacy lives in the countless lives he changed over the years.
Born on July 1, 1953 in Norfolk, Virginia, Randy grew up in a home that cherished family and community. His parents, Anna Black Hudgins and Curtis Randolph Hudgins Jr., nurtured a love of learning, competing, living honorably, and serving others. Randy attended Norfolk Academy and later Woodberry Forest School, where these early values grew under the inspiration and guidance of Red and Cathy Caughron and other beloved mentors. A good student and athlete, he developed an abiding interest in math and economics and a love of tennis. These passions would combine with his core values to create his life’s mission and enable him to change countless lives for the better. He continued his education at the University of Virginia, another institution founded on honor and service, and he remained, for the rest of his life, a devoted (if often disappointed) Cavalier.
Randy began his professional life in investments, working alongside his father at Wheat First Securities, but he had already begun to discover his true calling working for the Caughrons at Woodberry Forest Sports Camp. Soon he left brokerage work to join the faculty of Christ School in North Carolina, where he was a force in the Admissions Department and where he began to develop his distinctive style of coaching tennis. After earning a Master’s in Education from the University of Virginia, he returned to his beloved Woodberry Forest, where he served for 23 years in a wide variety of ways—as math and economics teacher, basketball and tennis coach, advisor, dorm master, Dean of Ninth Grade, and assistant director of Sports Camp. In all these roles, he was a trusted and valued mentor to generations of students and younger colleagues, an evangelist for the values of hard work, dedication, honesty, and putting others before self. His tennis teams won seven Virginia Prep League Championships, and he was voted by his fellow coaches as Coach of the Year eight times. He developed a renowned A.P. Economics program, which was recognized by the College Board for the consistently high scores, recognized as Outstanding Economic Educator by the Virginia Council of Economic Education in 2011, was awarded the Woodberry Forest School George R. O’Connor Excellence in Teaching Award in 2013, and in 2015 recognized by Woodberry Forest School with the Distinguished Service Award. Believing strongly that young people needed to understand economics to live prudent lives and be responsible citizens, he served on a Virginia state committee to develop a high school Economics and Personal Finance curriculum, now a requirement for graduation.
After retiring from Woodberry, he continued coaching tennis at Western Albemarle High School, where he led his teams to six consecutive State Championships, and where he earned widespread recognition. In 2019, he was named USTA Mid-Atlantic Net Generation Coach of the Year for his efforts in fostering youth development through tennis. Two years later, in 2021, he was honored as Central Virginia Boys Tennis Coach of the Year.
He is survived by his sisters, Jane Hudgins Frazier and Brooke Hudgins Wilson; his brother, Bill Hudgins (Virginia Hudgins); nieces, Claire Frazier, Grace Mills, Anne Porter Hudgins, and nephews, Taylor Wallace, Stuart Wallace, William Wallace, Barron Frazier, and Will Hudgins. His family and friends will remember Randy for his humor, kindness, and the profound impact he had on all the lives he touched.
We will gather at Emmanual Episcopal Church at 7599 Rockfish Gap, Greenwood, Va., at 1 p.m. on Monday, December 16, 2024, to celebrate his remarkable life. A reception will follow at the Carriage House at Kings Family Vineyard at 6550 Roseland Farm, Crozet, Va. Donations in his memory can be made to Emmanual Episcopal Church at Greenwood or to the Mathews High School Athletic Boosters Club, P.O. Box 38, Mathews, Va. 23109.