125 Years of Family Serving Family – Shirley Hudson, Office of the General Counsel

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family

Early in her marriage to her husband Eddie, Shirley Hudson prayed for twins. Her prayers were answered, and she gave birth to a boy, Edrick, and a girl, Erika.

“I know I prayed for them, but I didn’t ask how much work would be involved,” Hudson, an employment law paralegal in the Office of the General Counsel, said with a laugh. “You’re trying to run behind two babies at the same time, and one goes in one direction and the other goes in the other. It was a challenge but it was good fun.”

Shirley Hudson with her family at son Edrick’s West Point graduation. From left, Erika, Edrick’s twin sister; Edrick; Shirley and her husband, Eddie. A week before Edrick’s graduation, Erika graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington.

The work paid off: On May 15, Erika graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with degrees in marketing and management. On May 22, Edrick graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as a second lieutenant, with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Hudson considers herself fortunate that her family was able to attend Erika’s ceremony at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, as well as Edrick’s West Point graduation. Although some COVID restrictions were still in place, she and Eddie were able to invite additional family members to both graduations for the twins, their only children.

“They’re very close,” Hudson said. “They have a strong bond with each other. Even through high school they received academic honors and were athletes. They’re always striving to be the best that they can be. They have a strong faith in God and pray together because we’re a praying family.”

The twins attended Life High School in Waxahachie, Texas, where Life School Magazine profiled them in their senior year. Erika told the magazine that they were best friends from the beginning. Edrick added: “We did everything together. We even played on the same soccer teams.”

Hudson initially met Eddie, now a retired Army sergeant first class, in 1993 at Fort Hood. She had accompanied a friend to the post, and the friend wanted to introduce her to him. They met, but at the time, Shirley wasn’t interested in dating anyone.

She returned to Dallas. He went on two tours in Germany. Then two years later, when she was working for Fidelity Investments in Independence, Kentucky, he happened to ask their mutual friend about her – as he was at Fort Knox, about a two-hour drive away. They got together, began dating, and married in 1996. They later moved to the Dallas area, where she joined the Exchange in June 2000.

Hudson believes that her husband’s military background and the Exchange have both had a strong influence on the twins.

“They love the military and what the military does and we are really grateful to the men and women in uniform because they lay down their lives for us and our country,” said Hudson, who also has a brother and a nephew who serve in the Army, as well an uncle who retired from the Army after 30 years and a great uncle who was a cook in the Navy during World War II. “And AAFES shows a lot of strength and compassion for our men and women in uniform and, of course, their families. Our children see that and they honor that.”

She said that the Exchange has been very supportive of her family.

“I think the Exchange has a lot to do with our family, because I think it’s a great company,” she said. “They’re very willing to help you through anything. With me having twins, I needed flexibility, and the Exchange gave me that. It helped our family out a lot.”