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Professor Carol Hughes |
2/28/13
The Randolph-Macon College community mourns the loss of Psychology Professor Emerita Carol C. Hughes, who died on February 26, 2013.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 2 at 2:00 p.m. in the Chapel at Westminster Canterbury, 1600 Westbrook Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23227. A reception will follow. Interment at Hollywood Cemetery will be private. Hughes, who joined the faculty at R-MC in 1973, served as chair of the Psychology Department from 1986-1991. She earned her B.S. from Richmond Professional Institute, her M.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Ed.D. from The College of William & Mary. She also held a license as a clinical psychologist and had a small practice specializing in mediation and family counseling.
“On our campus, Carol was known as a caring, yet demanding faculty member,” says Provost William T. Franz. “She was a respected leader, serving as one of our very first college ombuds. She mentored countless students in internships, field placements and senior research experiences in addition to her classroom work. She also mentored many junior faculty members who saw her as a role model.”
In the community, Hughes was a tireless worker on behalf of people with special needs. She was a member of the Hanover County Community Service Board’s Human Rights Committee, the Hanover Mental Health Association, the Sunrise House Administration Committee, and the Hanover Child Protection Team.
Hughes, who retired in 2002, was presented a Randolph-Macon College Faculty Service award from the Society of Alumni. In addition, R-MC awards the Carol Hughes Award for Significant Achievement in Applied Psychology to a graduating senior each year at Commencement.
“Carol was a very nurturing department chair,” says Psychology Professor Kelly Lambert. “When I arrived at R-MC, I was very young and naïve and she was a patient mentor—introducing me to potential research collaborators in the area and making sure I had the necessary resources to succeed. Lambert, who refers to Hughes as “always the counselor,” says Hughes managed her faculty’s mental health as well as her patients’. “Carol provided wonderful internship opportunities for our students as they prepared for careers in mental health. Carol Hughes was a valued colleague who definitely left her footprint on the R-MC Psychology Department—and I will forever be grateful for her efforts to make the department an optimal learning environment for our students.”
Terry Winegar, former R-MC professor and current dean at Ursinus College, said that there were many things he had learned from Carol that he continues to use to this day.
“Carol used to say to students, ‘Don't think about what you want to be; think about what you want to do,’” says Winegar. “I find that very useful when someone says to me, ‘I want to be a psychologist.’ I like to think that in Carol's life she found great satisfaction in what she had chosen to do.”
Hughes is survived by her husband James E. Hughes and her daughters Susan and Barbara.