Don was a Chicago native, the son of Mary King (Mac- Donald) and Earle Ludgin. Both parents were graduates of the then new University of Chicago, where his mother taught English. His father went on to establish an advertising agency that eventually led him to the chair of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. After her retirement, and the birth of five children, Mary joined Earle in support of the arts in Chicago. Their collection of paintings was well known, once featured in Life magazine. The Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Ravinia Festival, which Earle eventually served as chair, all benefited from their generosity. The children all joined their parents in arts activities in Chicago and in the suburb, Winnetka, where they were brought up.
Although most members of the Ludgin family attended the University of Chicago, Don chose Oberlin College in Ohio, which granted him a B.A. in 1951. After Army service, including a year in Germany, Don returned to Chicago and joined the editorial staff of World Book Encyclopedia. Articles about the arts were his specialty for more than 25 years, and for five years — three in London and two in Sydney — he established an international edition of World Book and trained its editors. They returned to Illinois with two children, and settled in Evanston, where they lived for 20 years. After his retirement, Don and Sue decided to make their home on land in Maine they had bought before they were sent to London. They have now lived in Maine longer than they have lived anywhere else.
With Don’s death, only the oldest of Mary’s and Earle’s children, Mary Barbara (Bibs), and the youngest, Quentin (Q), survive. The second oldest, Earle, died over 20 years ago, and the second youngest, Roger, died more than 40 years ago.
Surviving Don is his loving wife, Sue, of Georgetown; twin daughters, Sarah Davis and her husband Scott and their 6 children, and Katherine Feit and her husband Pete and their 4 children, all of Glenview, Il; and a son, Peter Ludgin and his 3 children of Maine.
Sue and their children welcome friends to visit on Saturday, Jan. 24, between 2 and 4 p.m. at David E. Desmond & Son Funeral Home, 638 High St. in Bath.
At a date still to be chosen, the family will invite Don’s many friends to a celebration of his life in Georgetown, Maine.
To share your thoughts and condolences with the family, please visit www.desmondfuneralhomes.com.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
