Scholarships continue Hudson’s legacy

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A nonprofit in Louisville that works to maintain the history and heritage of the Louisville Colored High School is honoring a beloved coach through the donation of two scholarships.

Coach Harold Hudson was more than just a coach; he was a father figure, a big brother, a person who wanted to see people do good and be successful in life.

So, when it came to honoring his service and life, friends and former students decided academic scholarships would be the most fitting tribute to carry on his legacy.

Members of Trojans4Life, a group that preserves and shares the history of Louisville Colored High School, are awarding one-thousand-dollar scholarships to Louisville High School graduates Saniyah Hudson and Josh Ammons.

The members say it honors who Hudson was and what he wanted to do for future Wildcats.

“Coach Hudson, we called him our Godfather. He was our football coach, he was the athletic director, he was our biology teacher, and he taught us all about life. Not just football or baseball or basketball, he taught us about life,” Walter Coleman said.

Lawrence Estes, Elmetra Patterson, Frank Estes and Walter Coleman talked about the impact that Hudson made, not only on them but on Louisville and Winston County as a whole.

“I’m about the oldest one living here that played football under Mr. Hudson, and he was more than a coach to me; he used to tell me all the time, ‘Boy, don’t be familiar with where you would have been. And he was like a daddy, a big brother,” Frank Estes said.

They say that’s what he wanted for the scholarship program. For the recipients to not only do great things in life, but when they are able to come back and give back to the community. Just as he and his family did, and the Hudson family continues to do.

“We pray that the group behind us continues to participate in this scholarship thing. That’s one of the greatest things: to give back to the community. And this is something that he planted in our minds: give back to your community who have supported you when you were coming along,” Coleman said.

Members say the scholarship forms go out in January, and a committee will choose from the essays submitted.