Allan Charles Hudson and Helen Lovaas:
Business Success Translates to Endowment

Allan Hudson loved The University of Arizona. “If Allan is in heaven, it is the University of Arizona,” says Helen Lovaas, his former wife and business partner. “Allan started giving to the University right out of school by joining the Buck-a-Month Club, a fund earmarked for school athletic programs. His generosity toward his alma mater never waned. He would have done anything for the U of A.”

As it turned out, Allan did do a great many things for the University. He earned honorary letterman status through his support of UA athletic programs. His major gift to the University of Arizona Foundation for the benefit of the Arizona Cancer Center in 1985 helped launch the building of the initial research facility. The College of Business and Public Administration benefited from his talent as an alumnus of the class of 1960 and a member of their National Board of Advisors. As a lifelong friend to his Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers, his fraternity also received his attention and support.

According to Henry Koffler, president emeritus of the UA, “Allan was shy, quiet and unassuming. I spent many hours with him regarding university issues. His insights were most helpful and his dedication most heartening. Though he was fully aware that academic programs were the heart of the University, he was an avid supporter of athletics because he felt that successful sports would draw the attention, affection and support of alumni and provide us with national visibility. However, he always eventually intended to direct his generosity more to academic matters.”

Ten years following his untimely death, a $5 million-dollar gift from Helen Lovaas will establish The Allan C. Hudson and Helen Lovaas Endowed Fund for Excellence at the UA Foundation. This fund will continue to make a difference, not only at their alma mater but also in the lives of people stricken by heart disease. The gift also is the largest endowment ever established in the history of the UA and the UA Foundation.

“This gift to benefit the Sarver Heart Center,” Lovaas says, “has been in the works for years. In 1988, my husband, Lee, and I met with several heart disease researchers from the University at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Jack Copeland. As these scientists described projects they were involved in, we found the depth of their commitment and their enthusiastic optimism impressed us. Many years have passed since that time, but we never forgot that extraordinary evening and the potential it held for those who would benefit from the ideas they put forth. We feel privileged to add to the support of one of the top ranking cardiology/cardiac surgery centers in America. We are proud of the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center and its accomplishments and I know Allan would be proud too.”

Dr. Gordon A. Ewy, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center says, “This tremendous tribute from Helen, and in Allan's memory, is essential to our efforts to eradicate cardiovascular disease. This is a continuing source of support for young or innovative investigators who will ultimately develop into established scholars capable of obtaining their own sustained funding. This exciting endowment brings future hope to this and future generations who depend on the results of research and education to fuel advances in patient care and prevention.”

The success story of Allan Hudson and Helen Lovaas is the story of Hudson Respiratory Care Inc. Charles Henry Hudson, Allan's father, was a dentist when he founded Hudson Oxygen Therapy Sales Company in 1945. He invented many new products to assist with respiratory care. Among his creations were the first disposable plastic nasal cannula, one of the first plastic oxygen masks and a nebulizer that delivered drugs, such as the newly formulated penicillin, directly to the treatment sight.

Following his graduation from the UA, Allan became a salesman for the company. Looking back to that time, Hudson credited his educational approach of selling to the fact that it was a brand-new business. In a 1986 College of Business profile interview, he said, “In the early '60s there were maybe 100 respiratory therapists in the country. Now, there are probably 100,000.” He and sales associates set out to educate the hospitals they called on about the use of Hudson disposable products. In 1962, Dr. Charles Hudson died of a heart attack and, shortly thereafter, Allan assumed CEO duties as president of the company.

By 1971, Hudson Oxygen Therapy Sales had outgrown its space in Los Angeles and the company moved to Temecula, Calif., to expand manufacturing capabilities. As the field grew and doctors and hospitals began to accept the concept of respiratory therapy, the company challenge was to meet the ever-increasing need for more sophisticated equipment. Hudson met the challenge with a steady flow of innovative, original products that today still enjoy a first or second place share position in the domestic market. Hudson products, known for their quality, grew in favor with the international medical community. Today Hudson's sales outside of the United States account for 20 percent of the company's $100 million in total sales.

Helen became president and chief executive officer following Allan's death in October of 1987. She had met Allan at the UA in 1958 and following her graduation in 1960 they were married. Their first company assignment, one month after their wedding, was to open a Midwestern distribution facility and to accelerate the increase in sales in the states east of the Mississippi. Helen's temporary job as a billing clerk at Hudson was the first rung of a career ladder that included office manager, vice president of administration and finally the top company post. Although Helen and Allan ended their marriage in 1980, they maintained a close business relationship in the Hudson Company for a total of 27 years. This uncommon partnership was a result of a longstanding alliance formed out of trust and respect. “Ours was a classic success story of being in the right business at the right time and willing to put in the dedicated effort to make it a success,” said Helen.

Helen recalls that women in business, in the beginning of her 37-year career, were rare and considered almost strange. “Allan proudly supported my efforts and promoted the value and contribution of both sexes in the workplace.”

“He was ahead of his time in his acceptance and appreciation of achieving women in business. His mother played a vital role in founding the company. To his credit, he often went against the grain of his opinionated contemporaries who voiced the prevalent mindset that women belonged at home and not at the office … never mind the boardroom.”

“Thanks to Allan,” Helen adds, “qualified women were given opportunities in management positions at Hudson, commonly held by men. This was done long before it was an accepted practice or required by anti-discrimination laws. I believe that the exceptional Hudson RCI Company culture and our work force stability today can be attributed to the early establishment of equality, of every stripe, toward all of the people in the company.”

Thirty-seven years at Hudson provided the experience necessary for Helen to position Hudson as the premier disposable respiratory manufacturer in America. In 1989, she led the acquisition of Respiratory Care Inc. near Chicago, doubling the sales of her company and changing the name to Hudson Respiratory Care Inc. After 10 years as CEO and chairman of the board, she has semi-retired. The management group continues to operate the company under new ownership and Helen serves on the board of directors. There are 1,200 employees working in plants in California, Illinois and Mexico. The story of Hudson RCI is positive proof that the American dream lives on.

According to Richard F. Imwalle, president of the UA Foundation, “Helen is proof positive that talent, elegance and true compassion are the qualities necessary for success. In a style that is true to form for her, she is expanding beyond her incredible success with Hudson to make a difference for many people through this very generous gift. The University of Arizona is fortunate to have Helen and Lee as dear friends.”