Joe Arnold Hudson

Joe Arnold Hudson was born in San Antonio on October 7, 1895, and came to Houston about 1918. For 19 years he managed the Rice Hotel Laundry.

He received his degrees in Alamo Lodge No. 44 at San Antonio in 1917: the Entered Apprentice on October 26, the Fellowcraft on November 26, and the Master Mason degree on December 28. He affiliated with Gray Lodge on September 20, 1922, and served as Senior Steward, Junior and Senior Deacon, Junior Warden and Senior Warden before his installation as the 57th Master in 1928 by Past Master W. G. Vollus. Past Master John H. Crooker spoke that night on “Masonry Outside the Lodge.”

His year was a busy one. The lodge encouraged a club of Master Masons meeting at Galena Park, which became Ralph K. Howell Lodge No. 1259 later that year. When fire damaged the Eastern Star building, Gray Lodge offered its lodge room to the Eastern Star chapters and the Rainbow Girls. The Secretary’s office was furnished, chairs were installed for the Past Masters, and new draperies made the lodge room, in the Secretary’s words, “one of the most attractive to be found anywhere.”

The Temple’s finances were becoming a burden, especially for Temple Lodge No. 4. In the spring of 1929 Gray Lodge agreed to take on a larger share of the building payments, $7,500 a year against Temple Lodge’s $2,500, so that the partner lodge could keep up. Grand Master Frank Hartgraves visited in April and urged lodges to instruct candidates from acceptance through the degrees and beyond. At year’s end Worshipful Master Hudson reported that the birthday committee plan had been revived, 400 Christmas baskets had gone to the needy, and Gray and Temple Lodges had hosted the other Houston lodges for a night of Master Mason degrees conferred in both lodge rooms at once.

He was Potentate of Arabia Temple and worked for many years on behalf of the Arabia Temple Crippled Children’s Clinic, serving 14 years as its Treasurer. He died on October 7, 1948, his 53rd birthday, and was buried in Forest Park. He was survived by his wife, Dot, and a son, Joe A. Hudson, Jr.