Today at Texas A&M University, geology and geophysics undergraduate students learn microscopy skills in a state-of-the-art laboratory, thanks to a gift from Mrs. Robbie W. Hughes.

The $2-million gift to the Texas A&M Department of Geology and Geophysics, in the College of Geosciences, established the Dudley J. Hughes '51 Microscopy Learning Laboratory, which was officially approved for renaming by The Texas A&M System Board of Regents Aug. 8.

Located in the historic Halbouty Building, the lab has added significant opportunities for hands-on learning for geology and geophysics students, impacting future geoscientists for generations to come.

“Forever will we be grateful to Mrs. Hughes for her immense generosity and strategic vision,” said Dean of the College of Geosciences Dr. Debbie Thomas. “Mrs. Hughes inspires us with her passion for geology and with her desire to support those who seek to follow in her husband’s footsteps, and this gift celebrates both in the most impactful way imaginable by transforming the professional development of our current and future students.”

The gift also supports the university’s Lead By Example Campaign, a fundraising effort to raise $4 billion in support of Texas A&M students, faculty, colleges and programs by 2020. 

A Lifetime Of Leadership And Generosity

Dudley J. Hughes was a legendary Aggie geologist, and his family has continued his legacy of excellence and generosity with the establishment of this new teaching laboratory equipped with the latest technology.

The gift was given in honor of Mrs. Hughes’ late husband’s “devotion, passion and generosity for Texas A&M University and the Department of Geology and Geophysics.” Mr. Hughes was an acclaimed exploration geologist and celebrated philanthropist.

Mr. Hughes grew up near Palestine, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree in geology. Robbie received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Woman’s University also in 1951, and she and Dudley married later that year. He then served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army in the Korean War and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

After returning from the war, Mr. Hughes and his twin brother, Dan Hughes, started a company, Hughes & Hughes, for independent operations in Mississippi. Mr. Hughes had an accomplished 40-year career in exploration geology. Dudley and Robbie lived in Jackson, Mississippi, and also championed numerous philanthropic causes in the arts, sciences and church-related organizations.

He received numerous professional and civic honors, including a Lifetime Achievement Recognition from the Alabama Oil and Gas Board in 1994, induction into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame in 1996, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists' 2008 Outstanding Explorer Award, and the 2010 Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oilman Award honoring a lifetime of achievement with the oil and gas industry. In 2010 he was given the Distinguished Alumni Award by Texas A&M University — the highest honor a former student can receive from the university. 

Mr. Hughes was also instrumental in the establishment of the Berg-Hughes Center for Petroleum and Sedimentary Systems in 2009. The Berg-Hughes Center was named for distinguished professor Dr. Robert Berg, and for the Hughes family, Dan A. Hughes '51 and Dudley J. Hughes '51 and Dan A. Hughes Jr. '80, in recognition of their generous financial support.

Survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, his two daughters Vikki and Cynthia, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Dudley died on April 21, 2015, as Aggies around the world gathered for Aggie Muster.

By Leslie Lee ’09

To learn more about supporting high-impact learning in the College of Geosciences, visit leadbyexample.tamu.edu/geosciences.