Connie Shoup (Hudson) is not only a member of the WPHS Class of 1961, but she is a prominent Atlanta portrait artist. Connie has lived in the Atlanta area with husband Bill Hudson (Class of 1960) for 30 years and has been painting portraits professionally by commission for twenty years. Connie's portraits are rendered in oil or pastel mediums for the discriminating client.

Dave Rees and Bill Hudson became friends during the summer of 1965 when Bill was a department manager at J.C. Penney's in the Winter Park Mall. Although they knew each other by working together for only 8 months, they enjoyed a lot of good times. However it was 40+ years before Dave and Bill were to meet again. Connie and Bill regularly attend the mini-reunion luncheons at the Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, just outside of Atlanta, that are organized semi-annually by Bill and Camille Ronay.

Dave and his wife Katherine attended the February, 2004 luncheon. There were Connie and Bill and Dave and Katherine and the reminising began. During this time it was brought to Dave and Katherine's attention that Connie was an accomplished artist. Dave and Katherine had been talking about having Katherine's portrait painted but, up to that point, had not done serious interviews with potential artists. Three years later, a few mini-reunion luncheons and a lot of e-mail and phone calls passed and......

Guess what!!!! Dave and Katherine have commissioned Connie to paint Katherine's portrait and all are thrilled. (We are thrilled too... and that is why we are going to follow this story.) (Mouse-over thumb prints below.)