Elaine Wood Hughes

Floyd Elaine Wood Hughes of Montevallo died April 14, 2019 after a long and gallant battle with ovarian cancer. She passed away peacefully in her home on Palm Sunday surrounded by family. She is survived by her husband, Robert Basol “Bobby” Hughes, Jr.; oldest son Kevin Murff Hughes of Montevallo; daughter Beth Hughes Wilder and son-in-law Chris Wilder of Birmingham; grandchildren Will Wilder, Patrick Wilder, Hannah Wilder, Jackson Hughes, Mary Alice Hughes, Bay Hughes, and Ashley Hughes; sister Mollie Wood Midlik (Bill) of Hoover; brothers Jimmy Dalton Wood (Wilhemina) of Fultondale and Steven Wayne Wood of St. Cloud, MN; cousins Gary C. Youngblood of Vestavia and Linda Plunkett Shipp (Bob) of Mobile; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved son Trey Hughes and her parents Floyd and Mildred Wood.

A native of Graysville, AL, Elaine was Professor Emerita of English and an accomplished and award-winning scholar who spent four decades on faculty at her alma mater, the University of Montevallo. She earned the Bachelor of Arts with highest honors from UM in 1969 and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Alabama in 1979. During her tenure at UM she influenced thousands of young college students with her engaging classroom instruction, and was named the Carnegie Foundation CASE Professor of the Year for Alabama in 1999. Her first love was teaching, but she also served in administration as Director of Academic Program Initiatives and as chairperson of numerous university committees, including the Collaborative Effort with Public Schools Committee and the Committee for Academic Development, Research and Special Projects. She was the faculty advisor for the Lambda Kappa chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, and was involved with the national organization, serving as International President from 1994-98. Her passion for liberal arts led to her tenure as a Humanities Scholar for the Alabama Humanities Foundation, including serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Foundation from 2005-2006. Her career achievements were acknowledged in 2007 when she was presented with the Eugene Current-Garcia Distinguished Scholar Award, and again in 2011 when the Alabama Humanities Foundation honored her with the Alabama Humanities Award for the vision, expertise and extraordinary energy she brought as a champion for the humanities.

Off campus, Elaine was a true feminist and outspoken advocate for women, children, and education. She was active in politics and was the first woman to hold public office in Shelby County when she was elected to the Shelby County Board of Education, serving as chair of that board from 1977-1980. She was also active in the American Association of University Women, serving as president of her local chapter twice, as state president from 2000-2002, and as chair of the national association’s Public Policy Committee in Washington, DC from 2003-2007. Elaine was an avid reader and lover of all literature. She was instrumental in the organization of the Shelby County Young Author’s Conference for K-8 students and the Shelby County Write Connection for high school students. She served as an organizer and consultant for Southern Voices at the Hoover Public Library and was a noted speaker on Southern literature at conferences and universities around the country. One of her proudest accomplishments was the play Four Spirits, which she co-authored with life-long friend and best-selling writer Sena Jeter Naslund about the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. Elaine was a charter member of the Montevallo Main Street Players community theater and a dedicated member and former chair of the Alabama Historic Ironworks Commission. Since 1965, she and Bobby have been members of the First United Methodist Church in Montevallo where she was a Sunday School teacher and member of the McMillan/Lott Sunday School class.

Elaine was a devoted wife and mother and a doting grandmother. She relished in time spent with family, especially the regular beach vacations, Auburn game-day tailgates, and holiday traditions such as the annual Christmas Barn Party she and Bobby hosted each year for dozens of relatives. She and Bobby were adventurers, traveling to four continents, 24 foreign countries, all 50 states, and three Olympic Games during their 60-year marriage. In addition to travel, she loved to dance, dine with friends, plan parties, and play bridge. She was brilliant, funny and kind, and will be missed by many.

A Memorial Service will be held Friday, April 19 at 2 pm at the First United Methodist Church in Montevallo, with visitation immediately following the service at 3 pm at Reynolds Hall on the University of Montevallo campus. Rocko’s Funeral Home in Montevallo presiding. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Montevallo Main Street Players, 277 Park Drive, Montevallo, AL 35115, http://www.montevallomainstreetplayers.com.