Catholic Church, babysat for
Hughes’ daughters so she could
visit her comatose son. For
seven years, she made the trips
until his death, just short of his
18th birthday.
“I am so grateful to all of
those families,” she says, naming
several. “I drove every weekend
— first to West Palm, and then to
Orlando — to see my son. All
those years, I never gave up hope
that my boy would wake up, but
he didn’t. We can’t know why
these things happen.”
In 1974, Hughes went to work
for a state-and-privately-funded
migrant education program in
Indian River County, making the
70-mile round trip from her
home in Fort Pierce to Fellsmere
six days a week. After her son
died, she also earned a bachelor’s
degree in education from Florida
Atlantic University.
In 1978, Hughes began teaching
English as a Second Language
through Indian River Community
College. She now leads the international team of teachers for
the program, which includes natives of Puerto Rico, Cuba,
Peru, Argentina and Mexico.
“Mrs. Hughes is a local hero,” says Dr. Ed Massey, president
of IRCC. “I have worked with her for over 20 years and
have always known her to put students and the community
first. I have never seen a more nurturing person, and I am so
proud to call her my friend.”
Friends, family and faith are the things that sustain
Frances Hughes, she says.
“My Catholic upbringing and my faith in God gave me the
strength to bear life’s sorrows.”
It is her joy, however, that draws people to her, her
daughter says.
“Her close friends call her ‘Mamita,’ which means ‘little
mother’,” Peterson says. “She’s like everybody’s mom.”
Hughes took her children to Mexico each summer, not necessarily
to visit, but to explore. “When we got a little older,
she would let us bring one or two friends with us,” Peterson
says. “We climbed up and down every temple, every ruin.
She even took us swimming once in a cinote, a sinkhole
where the Mayans held human sacrifices. My friends still
talk about all those great adventures with my mother. She’s
just fun to be around.”
Hughes says she has always been proud to be Mexican.
“In the ’80s, when the Mexican population in this area
began to increase, I started working on the idea of building a
cultural center where people could come for religious festivals
and wedding parties and all the social events we are
accustomed to in Mexico,” Hughes says.
With the backing of the Diocese of Palm Beach and St.
Anastasia Catholic Church, Hughes organized a group of
workers to sell tamales and other treats after Mass on
Sundays, and held festivals, National Queen contests, dances
and other events to raise money. They initially raised $60,000
FORT PIERCE FOLKS
and bought property on Delaware Avenue where they
planned to build the Juan Diego Hispanic Cultural Center.
“The people worked very hard, and we eventually
raised $80,000, but at the end, it became a mission, not a
cultural center,” Hughes says. “I was the leader, perhaps,
but they were the ones who worked so hard, and then the
dream died.”
“Now, the (Mexican) population has dispersed to Port St.
Lucie and other areas, where they rent other buildings,”
Hughes says. Still, Hughes strives to instill in her students
a sense of community, and “a sense of pride in their heritage.
I tell them to take the good things this country has to
offer, obey the laws, learn the language, but to retain their
own culture. I
think that’s very
important.”
Many of
Hughes’ former
students now are
college graduates
and community
business people,
she says.
“I am so happy
to see that they
don’t live the life
they used to live.”
“And, by the
way,” she adds
with pride, “I am,
as of last year, a
citizen of this
country, as well
as Mexico.”
Frances Hughes receives the 2007 Outstanding
Adjunct Faculty Member Award from IRCC
President Dr. Ed Massey.
67
Name: Frances H. Hughes
Age: 90
Birthplace: San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Education: Bachelor’s degree in education
from Florida Atlantic
FORT
PIERCE
University.
Occupation: Lead teacher of English
as a Second Language program,
Indian River Community College.
Family: Three daughters, seven grandchildren, four greatgrandchildren.
What people don’t know: She’s an archaeology buff and
ardent explorer of ruins. “My dream is to visit Machu
Picchu in Peru.”
What inspires me: “People. People inspire me.”
Proudest Achievement: “Raising my family on my own,
and seeing them grow and prosper. And being able to help
migrants have better lives.”