Facts About The Man Behind The Brand, James ‘Pel’ Hughes, on his 100th Birthday
The Man Behind The Brand – Pel Hughes
- Born on May 2, 1915
- He was an only child
- Real name: James Wellington Hughes, Jr.
- Grew up at 7933 Birch Street
- Went to Mater Dolorosa for grammar school
- Was nicknamed ‘Pel’ due to a grammar school friend that was not able to pronounce Wellington and said Pellington instead
- Went to Jesuit High School (Go Blue Jays!)
- Was a stud athlete and captain at Jesuit playing football, baseball and basketball
- He was a catcher at Jesuit in 1933, his son was a catcher in 1963 and his grandson was a catcher in 1993.
- They called basketball players “basketeers” back then
- Pel was 6’2”
- Graduated Jesuit High School in 1933
- Pel attended Loyola from 1933-1937
- Pel was in the Beggars Fraternity at Loyola
- He ran track, and played football and basketball for the Wolf Pack
- He played fullback and was a punter in football
- He was the 1937 Best All Around Athlete at Loyola
- He was married to Alice Catherine Laborde in 1938
- They had 3 kids, Jimmy, Yvonne “Bebé,” and Vic
- They had dogs named Oogie and Qwerty
- He frequently doodled and even won a few Dixie Cartoon doodle contests
- Pel was ineligible to go to war due to a leg injury
- He worked for the IL Central Railroad
- In 1945 he was signed to play with the New Orleans Pelicans AAA Baseball team and continued working for the railroad
- Hit 1 homerun during his AAA run
- He and his track coach at Loyola, Robert “Doc” Erskine, went to Chicago and ran in the same meet as 4 time Olympic Gold Medalist Jessie Owens
- He would play home games with the Pelicans after working a full day at the railroad + he would take vacation days and play a few away games
- In 1955, Pel and his wife purchased Earl J. Christenberry Letter Service, which Alice ran
- They changed the name to Pel Hughes Letter Service, and later to Pel Hughes Electronic Service, before finally settling on Pel Hughes Printing.
- His wife Alice passed away in 1973
- He loved to eat at Pascal Manale’s
- Pel remarried Lois Klein in 1980 – a friend from his earlier years
- In 2003 he was inducted into the Loyola Hall of Fame
- He’s in the CAA Hall of Fame
- Favorite Food: Oysters on the half shell
- He was a lover of golf and bowling
- He was a member of the Metairie Country Club
- He didn’t mind flying, it was the crashing part he didn’t like
- He was an honorary member of the Over The Mountain Athletic Club (OTMAC)
- He didn’t drink much, but later in life he liked vodka.
- He was an original member of the Dawn Busters
- All of his friends and family say he was an incredibly humble and unique man that loved his family to no end.
- Pel passed away in 2004 at the age of 89
He was one of the finest men I ever knew and treated me like a daughter even though I was only his daughter in law! I know thatht Pel and his son Jimmy are probably playing golf in heaven! Both are dearly missed and loved!