George Hudlin Obituary

George Willis Hudlin, 96, of Little Rock, passed away Monday, Aguust 5, 2002, at Woodland Hills Rehabilitation Center.

Willis was born May 23, 1906 in Wagoner, OK. He was a professional baseball player with a long career. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1926-1940. He was also with the Washington Senators, the New York Giants and the St. Louis Browns in 1940. In 1944 the St. Louis Browns acquired him for pitching insurance during their pennant drive. Willis was Pitching Coach for the Detroit Tigers during 1957-1959. He scouted for the New York Yankees from 1960-1974.

Willis managed the Little Rock Travelers in 1942 when they won the pennant. He also managed the Travelers in 1945, 1946 and 1962. He also managed clubs in Jackson and Greenville, MS.

In conjunction with the 100th year celebration of their franchise in 2001, the Cleveland Indians picked a roster of the “Top 100 greatest Indians” and Willis was one of the pitchers named. The 60 living selectees were invited to Jacobs Field in Cleveland to be honored in a pre-game ceremony on July 21, 2001. However, Willis was unable to attend.

Willis was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, Western Hills Country Club, Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame.

He was a residential builder for a number of years and was one of the first builders in Otter Creek.

He was a Civil Flight Instructor in World War II.

Willis is survived by Hilda, his wife of 54 years and by a sister-in-law, Lillian Hudlin, of Tulsa and a number of nieces and nephews.

Funeral Services will be at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, August 8, 2002 in the chapel of Griffin Leggett Healey & Roth, 5800 W. 12th St., with Dr. Rex Horne, Jr. officiating. Interment will be Friday, August 9th at 2:00 pm., at the City Cemetery, Hazlehurst, MS. To sign online guestbook, visit www.griffinleggett.com.

Visitation will be from 6:00 –8:00 p.m. today, (Wednesday) at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Immanuel Baptist Church, Building Fund, 1000 Bishop St., Little Rock, AR 72203 or to a charity of your choice.