Darril with the son of Frances Heidensohn (Emeritus Professor of Sociology) in 2015
Darril Hudson, who has died at his home in San Francisco aged 87, was an LSE Alumnus who gained immensely from his graduate studies at the School and marked his appreciation of his alma mater by sponsoring the art installation ‘Blue Rain’ known to all of us on the campus.
Darril was a wonderful man, kind, considerate and a thoughtful scholar who represented all that is best in an LSE education. An active academic, he was a fine teacher, becoming a professor at California State University and holding a Fulbright fellowship at Heidelberg. His was a truly international outlook and he had a genius for friendship with a worldwide circle. He even wrote a cookery book to show his many European friends how to prepare American dishes. Unusually, he combined intellectual and artistic interests with entrepreneurial flair and, with his beloved partner Peter Boesch, whom he met in London, set up and ran a successful business. With immense generosity, Darril and Peter funded and encouraged artistic, musical and educational projects.They also traveled widely, exploring new places with interest and delight. Peter’s early death in 1995 was a heavy blow. A plaque below Blue Rain marks their relationship.
Darril continued to travel, especially to Paris and London see his many friends and engage with the arts and political development. He will be deeply missed but remembered with love and gratitude by his many friends among whom I was proud to be one for 54 years, since we met on the steps of the main Building in Houghton st.
Frances Heidensohn Sociology Dept