Emil T. Hudak ’50

Emil T. Hudak ’50 of Rockville Centre, New York, passed away peacefully at his home on March 30, 2014. Originally from Bayonne, New Jersey, he was ranked the top basketball player (forward) in New Jersey after he was named to the all-state team for the third time. After serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II, Emil enrolled at Dartmouth and was a member of Phi Kappa Psi. He majored in sociology and played basketball and baseball. He was captain of the basketball team and also a top-scoring player. Friend Eddie Leede ’49, who preceded Emil as basketball team captain, remembers their fun-filled summers working together waiting tables and playing on their hotel’s basketball team, which boasted the best record in the Catskill league against teams with top college and NBA players. Emil was the winning pitcher when Dartmouth won the Ivy League baseball championship in 1948. He gave Dartmouth audiences more than a good pitching job. He was the team comedian whose antics usually had both teams laughing and the umpire struggling to keep a straight face. These antics earned him the nickname “The Clown Prince.” In May of 1948, playing against Yale, pitcher Emil struck out George H.W. Bush. While playing against the University of Rochester, Emil and friend Wes Field ’50 crashed a wedding and he met Carol, who became his wife of 62 years. Emil is survived by Carol, sons Mark, Douglas and Scott and grandsons Christopher and Matthew.