William “Billy” Henry Hudgins, the youngest son of Edward Wren Hudgins and Lucy Morton Hudgins, was born in Chase City on November 19, 1915. He attended the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia and earned a Bachelors degree from Washington and Lee University and his L.L.B. and Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Virginia in 1941. Billy enlisted in the Navy on August 8, 1940 and assumed active duty from June 12, 1941 to July 17, 1946. During this period, he was stationed at the District Intelligence Office in Norfolk, and rose to the position of Commanding Officer aboard the Patrol Yacht USS Carnelian, that was part of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit. He also served aboard the USS YDG-11 and the USS George P. Elliott, as Commanding Officer and Assistant Troop Commander, respectively.

On December 17, 1947, he returned to active duty in the Office of the Judge Advocate General in Washington, DC.  In 1950, he was “detailed to additional duty with the Naval Aide to the President (Eisenhower) as an Aide at the White House.  In the performance of this duty, he carried out all his assignments in a way to reflect credit on the naval service.” From 1951 to 1953, Commander Hudgins served as Senior Aide to Admiral Robert B. Carney, Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe.  He was stationed in London and Naples and traveled extensively in the Middle and Far East and South America. William Hudgins resigned from the Navy on November 26, 1953.

In 1958, he became a Senior Cruise Director with the Matson Lines in San Francisco, while in this position he logged his second million miles of travel.  Commander Hudgins retired from the cruise line in the 1960s and focused on expanding the gardens surrounding MacCallum More.  Billy took an early interest in his mother’s garden and collected artifacts from his extensive travels, which can be seen at MacCallum More today. The Anchors Aweigh Column is dedicated in honor of Commander William Henry Hudgins.