Attorney Washington E. “Wash” Hudson served from 1923-1943 as dean of the Tulsa Law School, the predecessor to The University of Tulsa College of Law.
Years earlier, in 1902, Wash Hudson was a young lawyer who had arrived in Oklahoma Territory from Nashville, Tennessee. He moved to Tulsa in 1912, became the law school dean, and further distinguished himself by serving in the state legislature.
It was during this time that he realized the importance of harnessing river power to generate electricity. In an effort to realize this vision, he and his son, Robert Hudson, formed Grand Hydro, Inc. Backed by several wealthy Tulsans, the company purchased approximately 1,000 acres where the Grand River Dam was later built. Although Wash and Robert Hudson were fully prepared to take the project on as a private enterprise, the State of Oklahoma recognized the public value of the idea. Litigation ensued, and Robert Hudson represented Grand Hydro in the proceedings. He won a $1 million verdict, and the case established the legal principle that a landowner is entitled to be paid according to the highest potential public use of the property.
Wash Hudson’s granddaughter, Shirley Hudson Knopp, was a TU alumna (BA ’57, English), who married Charles “Roger” Knopp, a Tulsa real estate broker and engineer. Knopp was a graduate of the Missouri School of Mines at Rolla, Missouri (MS ’54).
Roger Knopp’s daughters graduated from The University of Tulsa, and they now serve as co-trustees of the Charles Roger Knopp Revocable Trust. Dr. Lisa K. Lawrence completed three TU degrees (BS ’79; MS ’84; PhD ’92) in education and educational administration, and she went on to serve as principal of Sequoyah Middle School in the Broken Arrow School District. She also edited “Miracle on Southwest Boulevard: Eugene Field Elementary.” This book chronicles the story of her colleague, Cindi Hemm, and her successful efforts to turn the low-performing Eugene Field Elementary School in Tulsa into an institution of academic excellence.
Roger’s other daughter, Kelly Knopp (BS ’86; JD ’89), graduated summa cum laude with her undergraduate degree from The University of Tulsa, and she earned her Juris Doctor degree with honors from TU Law. She is in private practice in Tulsa.
Roger Knopp left testamentary gifts to The University of Tulsa through the Charles Roger Knopp Revocable Trust to establish two important scholarship endowment funds: The Shirley Hudson Knopp Scholarship Endowment in English and The Shirley Hudson Knopp Scholarship Endowment in Loving Memory of Wash E. Hudson at The University of Tulsa College of Law.
These scholarship funds pay tribute to Roger Knopp’s beloved wife and her grandfather, while supporting deserving TU students. Shirley Hudson Knopp passed away in 1984, and Charles Roger Knopp died in 2007, but their legacy is sustained by the deserving TU students who continue to receive these important namesake scholarships.
