Robert Don Hughes
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Dr. Robert Don Hughes (Nov. 14,1949 - Nov. 23, 2023)Obituary
/ref> was an American
educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
, writer, and pastor. He authored mainstream
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
and
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and evangelical
non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...
.


Early life and education

Hughes was born in
Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...
, one of at least three children of Robert Dale and Ruth Naomi Hughes. He played football in high school. He married Teresia Gail Smith, daughter of Heflin and Geraldine Smith. The Hugheses had one daughter, Bronwynn, born in Nigeria, where they were then missionaries. Hughes attended the
University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university in Redlands, California, United States. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Calif ...
, received his
B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
from California Baptist College, his
M.Div. For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...
from
Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary Gateway Seminary ("GS") is a Baptist theological institute based in Ontario, California with campuses in Fremont, California, Phoenix, Arizona, Vancouver, Washington, and Centennial, Colorado. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conventi ...
, and his Ph.D. from the
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The s ...
. At California Baptist College he began the "Drama Trio."


Professional career and later life

After graduation, Hughes was employed at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, as associate vice president of external programs and Associate Professor of Communications and Mass Media. Later he was a professor of missions and evangelism at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in Pineville, Kentucky. He also taught at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky for a time, served as a Youth Pastor, and Journeyman to Zambia, and from 1980 to 1984, a
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
in
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. His last pastorate was East Jellico Missionary Baptist Church in Pineville. He retired from pastoral ministry in 2019. After retirement, Hughes moved to
Guthrie, Oklahoma Guthrie is a city and county seat in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. Its population was 10,191 at the 2010 census, a 2.7% increase from 9,925 in the 2000 census. First known as a railroad st ...
, in order to be closer to his sister Peggy. He died in Guthrie in 2023, predeceased by his wife Gail and brother John. He was survived by his daughter Bronwynn and sister Peggy.


Literary career

Hughes was a writer of secular fantasy and science fiction, as well as religious fiction and non-fiction. All of his writings tend to deal seriously with religious themes. His most extended body of work consists of his two fantasy sequences about a magical country split into three states after a two-headed dragon occupies the main route linking them. As a result, the magical potential of each region develops in different directions. His "Pelman the Powershaper" trilogy tells of the end of the dragon's reign and its consequences, while the unfinished "Wizard and Dragon" sequence, also projected as a trilogy, deals with how the dragon was originally created. The powerfully imagined dragon Vicia-Heinox with its two bickering heads set a pattern for the portrayal of similar creatures in other media, including the animated film ''
Quest for Camelot ''Quest for Camelot'' (released internationally as ''The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot'') is a 1998 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation, directed by Frederik Du Chau, and very loosely based on the ...
'' (1998) and the
public television Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...
children's program ''
Dragon Tales ''Dragon Tales'' is an animated educational television, educational Fantasy fiction, fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker, developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser, and pr ...
'' (1999–2005). Hughes's science fiction is more overtly religious, consisting of the novels '' The Fallen'' and its sequel '' The Eternity Gene'', and the singleton ''Gabriel's Trumpet''. His religious non-ficion includes ''Talking to the World in the Days to Come'' (on missions) and '' Satan's Whispers'', which has the distinction of having been adopted for use by the
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is a non-profit Christian outreach organization that promotes multimedia evangelism, conducts evangelistic crusades, and engages in disaster response. The BGEA operates the Billy Graham Train ...
in the early 1990s. Hughes also wrote plays for churches. He was a filmmaker while serving overseas in Africa.


Bibliography


Fantasy


Pelmen the Powershaper

# ''The Prophet of Lamath'' (1979) # ''The Wizard in Waiting'' (1982) # ''The Power and the Prophet'' (1985)


Wizard and Dragon

# ''The Forging of the Dragon'' (1989) # ''The Faithful Traitor'' (1992)


Short fiction

* "Pursuit of a Lost Tugolith: A Tale of Pelmen Before the Dragon Was Divided" (1983) * "Dragon Meat" (1987)


Science fiction


The Fallen

* ''The Fallen: A Novel'' (1995) * ''The Eternity Gene'' (1999)


Other

* ''Gabriel's Trumpet'' (1993)


Non-fiction

* ''Plays That'll Preach'' (1985) * ''A Real Live Missionary'' (1990) * ''Talking to the World in the Days to Come'' (1991) * ''Satan's Whispers: Breaking the Lies That Bind'' (1992) * ''Questioning God'' (2002) * ''History: Think for Yourself About What Shaped the Church'' (2008)


References


External links

*
Bibliography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Robert Don 1949 births 2023 deaths American fantasy writers American science fiction writers Living people 20th-century American novelists California Baptist University alumni Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary alumni Southern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni University of Redlands alumni American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers