Cora Juanita Johnson Hudgins

Cora Juanita Johnson Hudgins was born in the Wightman Community near Chase City, Virginia, on February 21, 1936. She was the tenth child of the late Herman and Edna Hayes Johnson, who had twelve children. Juanita was baptized at a young age and joined the Lone Oak Baptist Church and was a faithful and active member of the Usher Board and the Junior Choir.

Juanita attended Wightman Elementary School from the first through seventh grades. After completing the eighth grade at Mecklenburg County Training School, she transferred to Thyne Institute in Chase City, Virginia. She completed high school at Thyne Institute, graduating in 1953 as a member of the institute's last class. Juanita attended Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia, where in 1957, she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in English. Juanita completed post-graduate studies at Virginia State University and Longwood University.

Juanita married Winfred P. Hudgins, Sr. in 1957. They were later blessed with a daughter, LaNita, and a son, Winfred, Jr.

Juanita's first teaching position was at LaCrosse Grade School, where she taught third grade. She later moved to Clarksville in 1960 when her husband was appointed principal of Hillcrest Elementary School (now Clarksville Elementary School). She taught English at Bluestone Middle School (formerly West End High School) until she retired in 1991.

Juanita was a member of the Piedmont Court Services Board; the Mecklenburg County Alumni Chapter of Saint Paul's College, serving as its president for eight years; and the Saint Paul's College United Negro College Fund Committee. Juanita also served on the Usher Board, the Missionary Ministry, the Deaconess Board, and the Adult Choir at Amity Baptist Church in South Hill.

Juanita was a Life Member of the NAACP; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; and the Mecklenburg County Chapter of the Retired Teachers Association.

Juanita was preceded in death by her parents, Herman and Edna Hayes Johnson; her husband, Winfred Hudgins, Sr. and daughter, LaNita Hudgins; and her siblings, Eleanor Johnson Hayes, Sarah Elizabeth Johnson Hawthorne (James), Florence Johnson King, Fannie Johnson Hepburn Powell (Spencer Hepburn and William Powell), Walter Johnson, Sr.(Marie), Marie Johnson Boswell (Bernard), Alfred Johnson (Josephine), Herman Johnson (Shirley), Carson Johnson (Bessie), Alonzo Johnson (Elizabeth), and Henry Johnson (Estella).

Juanita is survived by her son, Winfred Hudgins, Jr. DDS, of Reston, Va.