Back in 2007, the NNU Alumni Association decided they wanted to award someone with a professional achievement award. When they approached Dr. Walden Hughes, a master piano teacher at the university, he had an interesting response as he tried to talk them out of it.
"They said 'well why?' And I said because you know I just haven't come very far in life. I think you should at least give this award to somebody who has at least made it across the street. I've never made it out of the maternity ward," explained Dr. Hughes.
That's because the maternity ward of Samaritan Hospital was located exactly where Walden Hughes' office is currently, in the Fine Arts building of NNU. So yes, Dr. Walden Hughes was born in his office.
"There is still a lot of crying and mashing of teeth," said Dr. Hughes.
Hughes said he has always known he was born in the building but never considered where that is until he was there late one night and saw two women come in the front door looking around.
"I asked them if I could help them find anything and they said well we used to be nurses here and we just wondered how things had changed," said Hughes. "That's where it hit me and so I asked them, where was the maternity ward and they pointed back to my office."
To his shock, he called his parents to tell them.
"I said I just found out that I was born in my office and he said 'well I guess you haven't come very far in life have you. My dad managed to bring me down a notch," said Hughes.
But interestingly enough it's also where his father was born and as it turns out several of his students as well.
He said it's an honor that so much history and joy shares his office and he can't help but get a chuckle at other departments unfortunate locations.
"I think the morgue is in the art department so I'm ok with that," laughed Hughes.
