Clock dedicated that honors Pete and Mary Hughes
Citizens, including city offi cials and grade school students, gathered at 17th and Main Tuesday afternoon to dedicate a clock honoring William “Pete” and Mary Hughes for their spirit of volunteerism and sense of community pride. SEK Point of Pride came up with the idea to honor the Hugheses and raised money for the 16-foot-tall clock tower.
Point of Pride representative Rod Landrum told those gathered that Pete and Mary exemplifi ed volunteerism in Parsons. He noted some of their projects over the years included Katy Days, Operation Bright Touch, downtown Christmas lights and the Parsons Area Community Foundation. Megan Hughes, one of the couple’s four children, spoke about Landrum’s idea to honor her parents’ dedication to Parsons, the town that they loved. When Pete and Mary were courting, they both wanted to live in a small town, Megan said. They married in 1952 and had 69 years together before Pete died in 2021. Mary wanted to attend Tuesday’s dedication but was unable.
The couple’s early years were spent working and raising children. Pete served on the school board, the Parsons Chamber of Commerce and was a longtime member of the Parsons Kiwanis Club. They were active in their church as well, First Presbyterian Church. In retirement, the Hugheses wanted to give back to the community. They created festivals and events to draw community interest and pride, from Mistletoe Marketplace for children, the ZaSu Pitts Film Festival, the oatmeal festival before the annual Christmas Parade, Operation Bright Touch (created with others, including Donna Seeley) and Katy Days. Megan said her mom was 71 when she read an editorial in the Sun that every town needed a festival that celebrated its heritage. Mary forged ahead to create the festival that became Katy Days. Mary had a talent for matching needs with people’s skills and interests. She worked the phone frequently with a yellow legal pad and a list of names and ideas. Megan said many who attended Tuesday’s event likely had received some of those calls.
Pete had a penchant for raising money for the community. His frequent cohorts were Chuck Brown, John Troy, Chuck Spellman and Gary Wall. He helped raise money for playground equipment at Forest Park, the senior center, the farm history celebration and the Seaton Family Pavilion in Forest Park. He was active in helping U.S. 400 become a reality in Southeast Kansas. He helped create the Parsons Area Community Foundation, which Megan said has become “a signifi cant force in this community.” “The upshot is that Mom and Dad followed their aspirations and inspirations and found many people in Parsons, Kansas, who jumped on board with their time, their money and efforts. Without all the people who say ‘yes, let’s do that,’ ‘Yes, I will help,’ ‘Yes, I will donate,’ ‘Yes, I will faithfully take care of that fl ower bed,’ … things don’t happen. We’re a ‘yes’ community,” Megan Hughes said.
Volunteerism continues in Parsons with the small group of dedicated volunteers who made the splash pad a reality. Another effort is underway to improve the Civil War portion of Oakwood Cemetery. “Volunteers and donors make the world go round, and without them, we would all be in trouble. Thank you for honoring our parents. They would say they don’t deserve it and many other people do, but they would like it,” Megan Hughes said. She then read the quote at the bottom of the clock tower from tennis legend Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” The quote is widely attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, who noted he heard it from someone else.
Landrum told the Sun that the SEK Point of Pride committee decided to do this project last spring and in the shortest amount of time raised the needed money from 43 generous donors. “Yes, the clock is beautiful and adorns our wonderful downtown Main Street but the reason the amount of time to raise the money was so short was because it had Pete and Mary’s name attached to it. Nobody exemplifi es volunteerism more than them in my mind, and if anybody should ever be named Mr. and Mrs. Parsons it would be Pete and Mary. If we all could be more like them this world would be a much better place,” Landrum said. “It has truly been an honor and privilege to be a part of this project to honor two very special people in the life of our community.”
