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Arba Lee Hudgens passed away on July 25, 2009 following a courageous year-and-a-half struggle with Merkel Cell cancer. Born in Goreville, Illinois, Arba moved as a child to San Leandro, California, and later attended UC Berkeley where he met his wife Mary Ann "Sallee" Sueltz Hudgens. Arba taught English at Pacific High School from 1960-62 then worked as a counselor at San Leandro High School for 32 years. He enjoyed an active retirement that included teaching English as a Second Language at San Leandro Adult School, volunteering in various language teaching programs at churches in Oakland and Berkeley, traveling to the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe, and spending time with his family. Arba is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sallee Hudgens; his sister, Lois Whitman; his brother, Robert Earl; four children; and 9 grandchildren.
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Sue Ferreira (Nunes) (1967)
Arba Hudgens, who taught English at PHS from 1960-62. After his retirement, he volunteered in English as a Second Language programs in Oakland as in this photo.
Noel Lubker (Mumford) (1964)
Mr. Hudgens was my English teacher. He had the most infectious laugh, and my classmates were always plotting to get him to crack up during a lesson. In one session we were reading Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. We all brought several small stones which we piled up on our desks. We left a piece of paper with a big fat black "X" on Mr. Hudgens' desk. When he arrived for class and realized that he was the lottery "winner," he practically collapsed into a heap of giggling jelly, his face bright red and tears streaming down. He was a terrific teacher, and we did manage to learn a lot.