Like many people across the country, I was saddened to hear news of the passing of former Indianapolis Mayor William “Bill” Hudnut over the weekend.
I was aware of his courageous battle against cancer and heart disease, but his death still came as a shocking blow. There is never a perfect way to prepare to lose people who have had a positive impact on our community.
Of course, there is probably no need for me to remind most of you about Hudnut’s achievements during his 1976-1992 tenure. Most people who have lived in the Indianapolis area for any significant amount of time are familiar with them. Hudnut’s lasting contributions, such as helping to make Indianapolis a more attractive city, revitalizing its economy, developing downtown and reducing infant mortality among African-Americans, are already well known.
He was also the first Indianapolis mayor to select an African-American deputy mayor and appoint ethnic minorities to key leadership positions in several city departments. Keeping a close dialogue with the African-American community was important to Hudnut. He worked closely with Black leaders regardless of political affiliation and was the first mayor to speak consistently in an African-American media format when he appeared on the late Amos Brown’s radio program “Mornings with the Mayor.”
What I would like to actually highlight, however, are the two special qualities of Bill Hudnut that made him such a popular mayor and got him elected to four terms.
First and foremost, Hudnut had a very positive personality. He radiated an aura of hope and positivity that seemed contagious to anyone who was around him. In other words, he genuinely enjoyed meeting people, listening to their concerns and addressing them. He was often quick to smile or share a joke and could be found wearing a leprechaun costume in the St. Patrick’s Day parade or dancing with a group of people during Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration. He seemed to enjoy being our mayor, and we enjoyed watching him be our mayor.
Hudnut’s positivity also translated into a refusal to give up or accept failure. No matter how difficult a situation became, he refused to take no for an answer. When the blizzard of 1978 threatened to shut Indianapolis down, Hudnut refused to let the city become paralyzed and personally helped plow the streets. When the National Football League said no to an expansion team for Indianapolis, Hudnut lured the Colts here in 1984 and helped build the Hoosier Dome to house them.
The second unique attribute of Hudnut’s leadership is that he was a visionary. He saw a vision of where Indianapolis needed to go, and he helped the city get there. When experts said there were not enough places to shop downtown, for example, Hudnut envisioned a retail center for the area and led the way to the revitalization of Union Station and construction of Circle Centre Mall.
This area of Hudnut’s life can offer a helpful example for all of us as we approach the new year.
Many people have already made resolutions for 2017 and made promises about what we will do and not do next year.
However, I would encourage us to do a few things done by Mayor Hudnut and other very successful people, some of whom I have had the honor of meeting and learning from as a journalist.
First, I would suggest that we adopt a positive attitude and mindset that says we can achieve our goals and failure is not an option.
Whether you want to move up to a higher paying job, buy a house, enroll in or graduate from college, improve the behavior of your children, open a business, stop drinking or smoking, or lose weight and improve your health, make up in your mind that your goal can be achieved. Have a vision and visualize yourself actually reaching your goal. How will your life look once you reach it?
The next step, then, is to come up with a plan on how to make that vision become a reality. Very few things in life (important things, at least) just suddenly happen. They are put into place with a plan.
Finally, let us not forget to bless other people on our journey to whatever our definition of success is. If you know there are young people in your neighborhood, church or family who do not have a strong, positive role model, then maybe you can be a mentor.
We can check on the senior citizens in our lives, and make sure they have what they need to enjoy the golden years of their lives. We can take time to help the homeless and the hungry, and speak out on issues of injustice in our community and topics that affect the schools our children attend.
We can use 2017 as a blank canvas and paint on it the kind of life we would like to have. However, if we do so while also contributing to our community, then we, too, can build a legacy that will last for generations to come.
