Chances are, even if you have never known her or even heard her name; she has touched your life in some way. A memorial will be held at 6 p.m. in the EMU ballroom for Mary Hudzikiewicz, retired assistant dean in the Office of Student Life, who died of liver failure July 18 at 66.
Hudzikiewicz had a motto; it was “Service is the rent you pay for the space you have on Earth.” A look at her resumé shows that she embodied this belief and put all her efforts toward spreading this message to others.
The list of programs and organizations that Hudzikiewicz was involved in goes on and on. She is best known for her involvement in the commencement ceremony, which she coordinated for 27 years, but she also invested substantial time and energy into University Day and the Friars senior honor society.
Laura Blake Jones, who was Hudzikiewicz’ supervisor, said she deeply respects Hudzikiewicz for her work and long time commitment to the Office of Student Life. “I learned more from Mary about this campus, its traditions and campus affairs than she probably learned from me. She modeled involvement in the community,” Jones said. “She didn’t have a lot of power, but she used the power she did have extremely honorably.”
The Office of Student Life is not the only place where Hudzikiewicz’s work in service can be seen. She was involved in about 20 other organizations outside of campus, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Making a Reader, and the Eugene Celebration. She also brought the Relay for Life to Eugene, greatly expanding the fight against cancer and raising money and awareness to the local community. “If all of us gave the way that she did, the world would be a much different place,” Jones said.
More than 600 guests are expected at the memorial on Monday, and the motto that she always spoke will be printed on the back of bookmarks to be handed out.
Long-time friend and colleague Dan Williams will speak at the service on behalf of the campus. Williams was one year ahead of Hudzikiewicz during undergraduate studies at the University, and they were both very involved with student activities. They continued their friendship into their professional life as Williams retired in 2005 from 22 years as vice president for administration.
“She was the epitome of a good citizen. In a time when most people won’t subordinate, Mary was always willing to give of herself to help others,” said Williams. “She said to me once, ‘it’s amazing what you can do when you don’t worry about who gets the credit,’ and that is exactly what she did, (she was) often not in the limelight.”
The message that Hudzikiewicz has embodied will not only live on through the people she has met and the lives she has touched, but her vigor in her endeavor to change the world will affect University students long after she is gone.
Hudzikiewicz’s commitment to service is recognized annually by the University through an award named after her. The award is given to a freshman “who has displayed a willingness to be involved in campus activities and who exemplifies academic excellence.”