Susan Huck Obituary

Huck, Ph.D. Susan Lillie Marie Dr. Susan Huck of Church Hill, Md., died at home on her farm on January 21, 2007. She was 76 and had suffered from cancer of the pancreas. Dr. Huck was born on September 7th, 1930 in New York City. She received her B.A. degree from Syracuse University, her Master's from the University of Michigan, and a Doctorate in political geography from Clark University. For most of her life, she considered her family's farm in Queen Anne's County as her home. A woman of great intellect, Dr. Huck's fondest love was teaching. However, her conservative views were not welcome by academe and she taught for only 14 years. Her expose of Hunter College of the City University of New York was published in National Review in 1962. Her accomplishments as a journalist, historian, author, geographer and cartographer, political writer, private pilot, foreign affairs correspondent, philatelist, and world traveler made up her wide-ranging career. A woman undaunted by adventure, her travels as a doctoral candidate and later as a journalist took her to war-torn parts of the world. Her doctoral study was a survey of British Honduras and its movement to independence as present-day Belize. In 1962, she was in Baghdad covering the fourth anniversary of the Iraqi Revolution. In 1965, she covered the breakaway of Singapore from Malaysia and Indonesia's policy of 'confrontation' with that country. In 1966, she was invited to the inauguration of her friend President Joaquin Balaguer of the Dominican Republic. In the late '60s and early '70s, she spent time in southern Africa with the former Foreign Minister and Defense Minister Lord Graham, covering the period of Rhodesian independence. In 1972, she flew by Chinese Air Force troop transport to the besieged Quemoy Island. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, she did investigative reporting on Central and Latin American politics, spending time in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, the central Andes of Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Guatemala, Argentina and Chile. Her political career was cemented as a ghostwriter for several Members of Congress, including the late Rep. Larry McDonald (D-GA) whose plane, Korean Air Lines 007, was shot down by Soviets in 1983. Rep. McDonald's service on the House Armed Services Committee sparked Dr. Huck's interests in military and intelligence affairs. She was later tapped by the CIA's former Deputy Director of Operations, Ted Shackley, to research a leftist group that launched an elaborate lawsuit against former CIA officers; a case eventually thrown out of federal court. Her book, Legal Terrorism: The Truth About the Christic Institute , is the published summary of that effort. As a reward of sorts, Dr. Huck was welcomed into the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. She also had occasion to land on nuclear aircraft carrier USS George Washington , observe Joint Task Force military exercises by helicopter, and cruise Arctic waters aboard the ex-Soviet spy ship, Akademic Ioffe . A prolific writer, her articles and book reviews have been published over the years in publications such as American Opinion, The American Geographical Society, The Review of the News, Conservative Digest, Conservative Review, The New American, Chief Executive, Insight, The Journal of US Intelligence Studies, Strategy & Tactics, and militaryperiscope.com . The latter three publications were joint submissions with her close friend LCDR (ret.) Fred Smith. She served as editor of Conservative Review from 1993 – 2000. Her book, Why Do We Americans Submit to This? , reflects the tenor of her articles on so many of the outrages against common sense and traditional values during 1990 – 2000. In 1996, after explorations to the far corners of the world, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London. She had been elected to the American Geographical Society in 1951. Her first teaching position was as Assistant Professor of Economics at Washington College, Chestertown, Md. from 1953 to 1956; her last, joining the original faculty of Chesapeake College, (Md.) as Professor and Head of the Social Sciences Department in 1967. Much later, Dr. Huck returned to her beloved role as teacher, concluding her career teaching ten courses in geography, history and military affairs in the Washington College WC-ALL program, from 2001 – 2006. Dr. Huck is survived by her sister, Julie Huck Bedell of Church Hill; her niece Catherine Bedell of Denver, Co., nephews William F. H. Bedell of Olney, Md., Rowland H. S. Bedell, Jr. of Church Hill, and Peter A. Bedell of Gaithersburg, Md. She is also survived by grandnephews Derek, William, Russell and Douglas Bedell of Olney, Md., and grandniece Brooke Bedell of Gaithersburg, Md. She leaves behind many dear friends and former colleagues. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 27th, 2007, at St. Luke's Episcopal Parish in Church Hill, MD. Donations in memory of Susan Huck may be made to PANCAN, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave, Ste. 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245; Kent or Queen Anne's County Hospice or St. Luke's Parish in Church Hill.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Washington Times from Jan. 25 to Feb. 23, 2007.

Memories and Condolences
for Susan Huck

9 Entries

Alan Stang

February 5, 2007

Since everyone else has commented on her authentic brilliance and wholesomeness, I could add the fact that she was also a fun girl and a delight at parties.

I do recall that at one patriot convention she warned me to avoid a bottle of white lightning novelist Taylor Caldwell kept on the mantel in her hotel room. Sure enough, Janet (Taylor Caldwell) later reached for the bottle and gave me some advice: "Listen to Mamma. Get published!" I took the advice but declined the white lightning, thanks to Dr. Sue's warning. Like Janet, she was a great lady.

Joe & Ann Mehrten

February 4, 2007

A great intellect and marvelous wit hss been lost. When I asked her speak in the 1980s for the American Opinion tour circuit she demolished the princes, nabobs and myths of the left with hilarious precision. Her research was deep and comprehensive. Her basement library could have been the geographical division of the Library of Congress. Attending in her home town the premier showing of Conan the Barbarian, staring the now governor of California, with her going barefoot and wearing bib overhauls, was an extraordinary experience. Our memories of visiting her on her Maryland family farm, that she loved so much, are fond treasures. Her works of literature and research should be preserved, so real historians of the future can find valuable lessons about the nature of our world. Our condolences to her family.

Arthur Thompson

February 3, 2007

From one who always enjoyed her writing.

Gary North

February 3, 2007

In every movement, there are out-front people and in-the-shadows people. There are also pioneers. Sometimes a few pioneers are widely remembered. Usually, they are forgotten. Susan Huck was one of the forgotten pioneers of the post-Eisenhower conservative renaissance.

Considering the quality of her work in relation to the output of some famous conservative authors - who deeply deserved, and should have actively sought, greater anonymity - the degree of her lack of name recognition, then and now, is worth noting.

She wrote a great deal. I wish she had written more. The John Birch Society should post all issues of American Opinion on-line. Then it should produce an index, by subject and author. There is no question in my mind who was the most creative author: Sue Huck. She dug deep into whatever she studied. She found gems. Those gems remain buried treasure. It is time for the Birch Society to make them available to today's conservatives.

Larry Abraham

February 3, 2007

When I started my writing efforts I had a few heros to try and emulate, Sue Huck was one of those people. Her ability to not only hit the mark with her insight but do it with unique humor and irony made her one of a handful and a vanishing breed. We will miss her.
Larry Abraham, Editor, Insider Report

Scott Stanley

January 31, 2007

After reading Sue's hilarious 1962 piece in National Review on the bullying she had suffered as a young professor by the gang of Marxists running Hunter College I wrote to suggest she do a piece for American Opinion. She did, and to paraphrase Rick at the end of Casabalanca, that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. After a time, Susan reported that National Review managing editor Priscilla Buckley told her that the Buckleys would not publish any writer who also wrote for American Opinion. Sue told Miss Buckley that this would give her more time to write for American Opinion, which in any case had almost twice the circulation of National Review. Thereafter, wherever I was editor over the next forty years, there always was a place for Susan to write and write well.
And write she did, under her own name and for others. Indeed it was she who wrote the seminal piece that inspired resistance to the ill-conceived Equal Rights Amendment. When I asked her to write that one she was reluctant until after she had read the congressional hearings, the left-wing blatancy of which infuriated her. She wrote a fierce attack --"Look Out: They Want to Draft Your Daughter" -- that immediately inspired Phyllis Schlafley to announce as leader of the resistance to stop the ERA. Why Phyllis and not Susan? Because, at Susan's urging, we published the piece under the name of Rep. Larry McDonald, a known and identified MAN.
And then there was the time a Susan Huck article stopped efforts led by Milton Eisenhower to create a national police force. She had called brother Milton, put on her whiney Hunter College accent, and in a short interview with what he no doubt thought was a sister Lefty, collected from him the tape-recorded remark: "You bet, and we're coming to get their guns!"
She was some girl.
Scott Stanley Jr.

Judy Davies

January 26, 2007

I was saddened to read about the loss of Dr. Sue Huck. I had the privilege of working with her and Dr. Fred Smith at "Conservative Review" in the 1990s. Sue's wit and wisdom about the world amazed me whenever she stopped by to work. She will be greatly missed by family and friends alike. May the Lord sustain and comfort Julie and family in the days ahead.

Tommy Toles

January 25, 2007

Julie, May the Lord comfort you and all your family at this difficult time. Sue was one of the two most brilliant people I have ever known (Larry McDonald was the other). She was beyond anyone in her knowledge of geography (I remember when she got her first GPS unit). She was so informed on virtually everything in the world and loved our country beyond anyone's comprehension. Sue was a superb researcher and writer. Most of all, she was my friend and it has been my honor to have known her. Our nation lost a tremendous patriot and we have lost a great friend.

Showing 1 - 9 of 9 results