In Memoriam: Dudley W. Carson ’40

Dudley Carson ’40 died Feb. 4, 2021, at age 103. He lived many of his best years with his wife, Genevieve, in Willamina, Ore., and Sheridan, Ore. Carson is perhaps best known in Oregon for his gardening skills, especially for his prize-winning iris flowers, his artwork that has sold at many outdoor markets, and his music compositions and performances on the piano. He resided in Kansas with his family during his childhood until the 1934 Dust Bowl, when the family moved to a farm in Gooding, Idaho. Carson was drafted into the Army during World War II, and while he was a conscientious objector, he served by working in the Chaplain Corps, where he could put his piano and organ skills to use during church services. He earned a master's degree in music education from Pacific University, and for over a decade, he taught music at the NW Christian College in Eugene, Ore., and then at the Delphian School in Sheridan, Ore. Carson and his wife retired in 1990. His final home was the River Bend Assisted Living facility, where he played the piano almost to the very end. Those who knew him best will remember him for his kindness and love of mankind. 

Carson outlived his beloved wife, Genevieve, and all of his relatives which included his parents, Hope Wright and Verne William Carson, and siblings, John Henry, Guinevere Delight, Maudelaine, and Verna Frank.