Friend of the chapter

Anna Mae "Ma" Hughes

For the many years of service given to her boys,

It seemed strange to me that the brothers hung a maternal nickname on Anna Mae. To me, she did not seem to display a traditional mother’s attitude toward the brothers. She showed up thru the kitchen door, often had a cup of coffee at the kitchen table with a few brothers, then went about preparing a meal for the dining room.
I was steward for the ’65 – ’66 academic year and Bob (Balboa) Goodwin and Jim Stein were waiters. To think now that I was responsible for feeding 20-30 hungry young men sends chills down my aging, aching spine. I didn’t know any better in 1965 and, today, I wouldn’t take that job for 1000 shares of Apple stock.
Ma made the job easy! She helped prepare menus, ordered food and supplies, cooked the meals, and washed the dishes. Every once in a while she had to work in freezing cold conditions when a brother sent a “Plate Frisbee” thru a kitchen window the night before.
Looking back, Anna Mae taught me as much as the Tech Professors, perhaps even more. While I was attending classes trying to learn something that would land me a job someday, Ma was there in the work-a-day world, getting a job done to support her family. Her presence was a stark contrast to the lifestyle of going to class, cramming for tests, having a few beers at the Vernon, and letting loose at Vic parties. It subtly was a reminder that one day I would leave the college scene and have to do what Ma did 6 days a week: Collaborate with a myriad of personalities to do a difficult job.

George Gaylo’66

The kitchen’s official naming rights were secured by a group of dedicated brothers led by Bob “Moose” Lynch ’71 and George Gaylo ’66 to be named for Ma Hughes.