Robert Hudson would often stop on backroad trips with his son when they spotted interesting rocks.
It wasn’t because the longtime Butler County Health Department administrator had an interest in geology. It was to support Garret, and the field where the 22-year-old plans to make his career.
And it was that spark that helped Garret and his sister, Grace, create a memorial that was dedicated Wednesday to their father, who died in January 2020.
A yule marble stone was placed outside the health department building on Main Street, with a plaque inscribed “In memory of our rock.”
The health department Board of Trustees chose the prominent location for the memorial, said Robbie Myers, Butler County Emergency Management Agency director, and a friend of Hudson’s.
“This will be a lasting memorial to him,” Myers said. “He served for 22 years, not just for this health department, but our whole community and our whole state.”
Hudson served as health department administrator from 1997 until his death in 2020.
The stone, Garret explained, is entirely unique and removed from a quarry at 8,000 feet elevation in Marble, Colorado. The same type of stone was used at the Lincoln Memorial and for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“It is known for its hardiness and resilience,” said Garret, who also shared with the friends, family and colleagues who gathered that water brings out the green hues of the stone.
The memorial stone is formed from a limestone base with copper intrusion, which causes its unique colors.
“He would have really liked that,” said Garret. “He just liked the cool rocks I showed him... He was the whole reason I got into geology.”
The memorial dedication offered a feeling of closure for those who gathered, and a fitting tribute, they said, to someone who contributed so much not only to Butler County, but the region.
Hudson was someone who sought out programs that could help area residents, and readily shared his knowledge with other colleagues who could benefit, they said.
The event was attended by Johns Hopkins School of Public Health’s Dr. Daniel Barnett. Barnett formed a 12-year friendship with Hudson after accidentally dialing the Butler County, Missouri, health department instead of the Butler County, Ohio, center.
That friendship also lead to many benefits for area residents, including a seminar held this week in partnership with Johns Hopkins to provide psychological first aid training for first responders, targeting services to the elderly population.
Hudson always worked for the betterment of the community, said Jerry Lathum, a planner with the New Madrid County Health Department, who attended the memorial.
Lathum was friends with Hudson for 20 years. They worked together and also formed a bond over trips to watch Hudson’s daughter and Lathum’s granddaughter play soccer.
“He was one of those gentlemen, once you met him, you didn’t forget him,” said Lathum. “He was always a wonderful person to be around.”
Mary Ann Allen, chairman of the health department board, said it was still difficult to talk about Hudson.
“I appreciate everything that he did,” Allen said.