Mary Beth Hughes’ Arkansas Tech story began almost a century ago when her grandfather, Claude A. Hughes, joined the faculty.
Now, as the 100th anniversary of her family’s association with the institution approaches, Ms. Hughes is further cementing their legacy with a gift to support the Arkansas Tech University Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and the ATU Master of Education degree program in K-12 special education.
“I was raised in a family that believed you need to pass it on,” said Ms. Hughes. “You can pass on a recipe. You can pass on a book. You can pass on a picture. If you can do something that passes on, that’s what means something to me. It’s not just who you are or what you are. It’s what you pass on, and that’s important to me.”
Her gift will support the Mary Beth Hughes Endowed Scholarship for ATU nursing students at the baccalaureate level and the Hughes and Henry Family Scholarship for ATU special education students at the graduate level.
“We’re here to help people pass on their knowledge and their learning,” said Ms. Hughes. “That’s what I wanted to do.”
Ms. Hughes’ paternal grandfather, Claude A. Hughes, served on the faculty from 1927-59 and was the standard bearer for the institution’s agricultural roots for more than three decades.
His efforts to improve and promote the Tech farm included conducting contests pitting horse-drawn tools against tractor-driven equipment, inviting Arkansas farmers to view the operations at Tech and learn about new methods in agriculture, hosting livestock shows and experimenting with irrigation.
He is remembered on the ATU campus with the naming of Hughes Hall, which was constructed in 1940 and remains known to many as the “rock dormitory.” It was named in honor of Hughes during the 1955 ATU Homecoming celebration.
Her father, C.A. “Al” Hughes, was among the 104 Tech students chronicled by Life magazine when they were mobilized from the National Guard for active duty during World War II.
Her uncle was J.W. Hull, the longest-serving president in Arkansas Tech history (1932-67) and the person who led the institution’s transformation from small, two-year college to modern, four-year institution of higher education.
Following her graduation from Arkansas Tech, Ms. Hughes taught for 34 years — three in Fayetteville and the other 31 in a variety of locales around the globe. In all, she has traveled to seven continents, lived on five continents and traveled to 85 countries. Wherever she went, she applied the lessons she learned at Arkansas Tech from professors such as P.K. Merrill, Lillian Massie and David Krueger.
Her experience working with children who had physical and mental disabilities is the reason part of her gifts to the ATU Foundation are designated for scholarships and program support benefiting the special education master’s degree program at Arkansas Tech.
“I think our little school…and I still call it my little school…it just means a lot,” said Ms. Hughes. “I made friends (at Tech), and we’re still friends. We see each other and talk to each other. It was just another home, and I’ve heard that from students. I ask them, ‘what does Tech mean to you?’ And every time, within the first paragraph they say anything, they say it’s home away from home.”
Individuals who wish to learn more about making a gift to the ATU Foundation may consult the ATU Division of Advancement at (479) 968-0400 or advancement@atu.edu.
