Don "Frank" Hudson

Don “Frank” Hudson, 71, passed away peacefully at home in Ocoee, Florida on March 1st, 2022. Frank was born August 1st, 1950 to Don F. Hudson and Joan Robson Hudson of Pawnee, Oklahoma. After graduating from Pawnee High School, he married his high school sweetheart Vicki Lou Brien. They lived in Edmond, Oklahoma for a few years where they both attended the University of Central Oklahoma and he obtained a Degree in Broadcast Journalism. Frank was always adventurous. During high school he and friends discovered a fun pastime involving strapping on a parachute in a large pasture, tying one end of a long rope to the parachute harness, the other end to the car bumper and taking off. One of his brothers found the flight exhilarating and even more so when the rope broke. Amazingly and without injury, a barbed wire fence stopped him from being wind swept across the county and made for a lasting memory. Frank rocked the local radio stations as a disc jockey while attending college and upon graduation went to work on his television broadcasting career as an anchorman at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. He later moved on to WNYS-TV in Syracuse, NY and then on to the sunshine state as a news anchor at WDBO now WKMG-TV in Orlando, FL, where his hair fell out and forced him off the air. He continued as a news director while he experimented with hair transplant technology which wasn’t well developed in the late 70’s. The results were less than stellar and during this time he observed the lifestyle of a friend who was a Landman in the oil and gas business and liked what he saw. After a week or so of job shadowing his friend, a favorable reference, an embellished resume and with a fake-it-till-you-make-it philosophy he was hired by C.E. Beck & Associates as an experienced Landman. He was told to report to Somerset, Pennsylvania where he joined a large crew of genuinely experienced Landmen. Frank’s introduction to the crew at breakfast his first day included a question asking about his experience with heirships to which he replied “I usually fly Delta”. Although he didn’t get why they were laughing, he was quick on his feet and laughed right along with them. Fortunately for Frank, that was a great crew and they quickly helped get him up to speed. Frank excelled and went on to work as a Landman for over 30 years, made many lifelong friends and along the way introduced and helped a lot of others get into the profession, including his two brothers. His generosity, sense of humor, kindness, big heart and desire to help others was beyond compare and was his gift to all who knew him. He ultimately figured out how to get his hair back and returned to broadcasting for some of those 30 years and worked as an anchorman at WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, LA. and then at WHAS-TV in Louisville, KY. Frank is survived by his two younger brothers, Joe Pat and Tom and lived with his girlfriend Arlene Noble. Frank and Arlene traveled together until he retired and returned to live in Ocoee, Fl. where he was a board member and treasurer for his Condo Association. He enjoyed time with friends and family, Arlene’s Cajun cooking, cruising on his pontoon boat or in his classic 2005 Jaguar XJ8 L bucket list money pit, ‘The Lady in Black’. Frank was a natural athlete, excelled in college diving competitions and was a barefoot water skier all the way into his 40’s. Frank’s final resting place will be at the family’s burial plot at Highland Cemetery in Pawnee, Oklahoma. No formal services are planned at this time and no flowers please but please feel free to leave a comment, share a good story, memory or photo. He certainly enjoyed a good story.

Don "Frank" Hudson

August 1, 1950 - March 1, 2022