Roy Davage Hudson

Roy Davage Hudson (June 30, 1930 – April 17, 2024) was an American academic administrator, educator, neuropharmacologist, businessman, and university president. He served as the tenth president of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, Virginia, from 1970 to 1976; and he served as the thirteenth interim president of Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, from 1995 to 1996. As a neuropharmacologist, Hudson researched the interaction of certain chemical agents with neurons; which resulted in multiple publications, including in the Merck Index and he held leadership positions in pharmaceutical manufacturing firms.

Early life and education Roy Davage Hudson was born on June 30, 1930, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to parents Everence (née Wilkerson) and James Roy Hudson. He graduated from high school at age 16. From 1948 until 1952, Hudson served in the United States Air Force and stationed in Alaska where he worked on engine repair of airplanes damaged during the Korean War.

Career In 1966, Hudson was hired as an associate professor of neurology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He was chosen as president from approximately 100 candidates. While he was president, the university received a large donation in 1972 by David Packard, the former co-founder of Hewlett-Packard and the former Deputy Secretary of Defense. He stepped down from the role of president in 1976, and cited personal reasons.

After leaving Hampton University, he returned to pharmacology and served as the director (later as vice president) of the research labs at Parke Davis from 1977 to 1979.

Retirement and death Hudson retired in 1992, however Hudson served as an interim president for his alma mater Livingstone College from 1995 to 1996.