Community Center In Reston Now Bears Name Of Local Leader Who Helped Get It Built

RESTON, VA — Reston's Southgate Community Center got a new name on Saturday. It's now the Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate.

The new name honors the service of the former Hunter Mill District supervisor, who spearheaded the effort in 2006 to transform an old county property on Pinecrest Road in Reston into the Southgate Community Center. The center now provides the surrounding residents with a place to gather, recreate and learn.

Although rain forced Saturday's renaming ceremony indoors, it did not dampen the praise with which members of the community and elected officials showered Hudgins.

"She was the architect for the Partnership for Youth," said former Fairfax County Board Chair Katherine Hanley, about working with Hudgins. "Together, she and I worked along with the Board of Supervisors, so that Fairfax County provided opportunities for our young people who felt alienated and were finding other groups to join, to find ways and programs to engage them to be successful. Safe places to congregate and to obtain writing and other activities that are vital to achieving those goals."

Hanley then read a card for Hudgins that was written by a child in one of the community center's classes.

"Thank you Cathy Hudgins for giving us a place to go after school," the card said. "I make new friends thanks to you."

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn introduced a board measure in May to rename the community center after his predecessor.

"I'm so pleased to see Cathy Hudgins honored in this way," he said, on Saturday. "I can't think of a better way to honor her legacy and public service than to rename this community center that she put so much time and energy into making a success."

Board Chair Jeffrey McKay was also on hand Saturday to congratulate Hudgins.

"We worked together for many years and to see a community building named after someone who is a great community builder is wonderful," he said. "Cathy is so deserving of this honor and I'm happy to be here to support it and to make sure that people in this community remember all that she did and the lives that she touched and improved."

Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk called Saturday's renaming a well-deserved honor that recognized Hudgins' 20 years of service to the county as a board member.

"Being the first African American ever to serve in the board's history is pretty significant as well," he said. "If you look at her legacy, it's really about helping families, helping children. She's an advocate for affordable housing. She's an advocate for so many important and vital things within the community and this recognition is so befitting for her."

Once all of the officials had finished speaking, Hanley handed the microphone to Hudgins.

The former supervisor thanked everyone for the kinds words but said there were many other people whose work needed to be acknowledged.

"There are a lot of things that we would not have had if we did not have the ingenuities to say,'This is what we need to do. That's how we're going to get it done,'" Hudgins said. "Fairfax County is wonderful county and it's because of the people we have and how we use their skills to make them understand what their lives can be."