Bonaventure campus remembers Dr. Hughes

in NEWS by

“Crushed.”

This is how senior sociology major Nicholas Taylor described his emotions after hearing that one of his professors, Dr. Roderick Hughes, died last Friday.

Hughes joined the philosophy department at St. Bonaventure University in 1970 and continued to teach until last November, when medical issues forced his retirement.  While teaching at Bonaventure, he served as the chairman of the philosophy department and was awarded Bonaventure’s “Excellence in Teaching” award.

He taught his composition and critical thinking course using a textbook that he had written, Comprehension and Critical Thinking.

His knowledge about philosophy continues to resonate with his former students and colleagues.

“He was brilliant, but at the same time, humble: a rare combination,” Dr. Steven Nuttall, a philosophy professor and colleague of Hughes, said. “He loved his students, and they returned the affection. He was patient and kind and had the absolute best sense of dry humor I’ve ever encountered or likely ever will.”

Junior philosophy major Joseph Ferencik was a student of Hughes, as well as one of his advisees.

“He was, hands down, the single most brilliant professor I’ve ever encountered at Bona’s,” Ferencik said.  “He was extremely quick-witted, and he was off the charts when it came to intelligence. I can’t say enough nice things about his teaching.”
Senior psychology major Caitlin Brown agreed, saying, “You could tell he was going through a rough time physically, but he was always so happy to be with his students. He was completely there for us.”
Student Government Association (SGA) executive president Alexander Noguerola, who took Hughes’ symbolic logic course as well as his comprehension and critical thinking course, remembers being “blown away” by  Hughes.
“You could tell that he was 10 steps ahead of your thinking,” Noguerola said.  “He was able to say things to get you thinking, and he could make personal connections with people. To me, his courses were an opportunity to test your knowledge with a man who wanted you to be engaged in the class.”
Hughes mentored students as well. According to Taylor, Hughes was known for his ability to listen to others and provide help in difficult situations.
 “He knew that I was taking the LSAT later that year,” Taylor said. “He would make sure to go over practice LSAT questions in class just to help me.”
Noguerola, too, appreciated Hughes’ mentoring.
 “He had many opportunities to mentor people while he was here,” Noguerola said.  “Stopping down in his office, there was always someone to mentor you. I’ll never forget his dry wit and humor and his ability to get the class to laugh at the hardest point in the lecture.”
Nuttall remembers Hughes as a colleague who was more than a co-worker. To Nuttall, he was a friend.
“He was always available,” Nuttall said. “He was a great listener. You knew when you talked to him, you had his undivided attention. There were times I went to him for advice on personal matters. He listened. He was nonjudgmental. He asked questions. Rarely did he attempt to answer the questions. But, he had an uncanny knack for identifying precisely the questions that needed to be asked and answered. Even here, he was the teacher.”
More than anything else, however, Hughes will be remembered as a great man.
“My parents both went to Bona’s,” Brown said. “One day, I told him that he had taught my mother, and I told him her maiden name. He said, ‘Okay,’ and I didn’t think anything more of it.  Then, halfway through class, he stopped his lecture, looked at me, and started describing my family.  I couldn’t believe that he remembered them, even after 24 years.”
Perhaps Nuttall understood Hughes’ legacy best, saying, “There is a space in the classroom, in the philosophy department, in the university, in the hearts of all who knew and loved Rod Hughes that can never be filled.”
Tags: