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HomeEventsAPSU gives tribute to late educator Dr. Preston J. Hubbard this afternoon

APSU gives tribute to late educator Dr. Preston J. Hubbard this afternoon

Austin Peay State University - APSUClarksville, TN – A memorial to the life of former Austin Peay State University professor — and World War II hero — Dr. Preston J. Hubbard will take place March 30th at 5:00pm at the Preston Hubbard Veteran’s Colonnade on the University campus.

The event is open to the public, and all are invited to pay tribute to an educator who touched the lives of countless students, colleagues and friends.

(L to R) Preston J. Hubbard, age at the time: 23, Paul G. Inzer, age at the time: 16, and a soldier not identified. This picture is of a rest stop, on the Death March, in Balanga, Bataan.
(L to R) Preston J. Hubbard, age at the time: 23, Paul G. Inzer, age at the time: 16, and a soldier not identified. This picture is of a rest stop, on the Death March, in Balanga, Bataan.

Hubbard died February 17th, 2016 in Smyrna, Tennessee He was 97.

After receiving his Ph.D from Vanderbilt University, Hubbard began teaching at APSU in 1955. He would go on to serve the University for 33 years, before retiring in 1988 as chair of the History and Philosophy department.

Before that, however, Hubbard enlisted in the military in 1941 and joined the fight in World War II. Assigned to the 409th Signal Company in the Philippines, Hubbard was taken prisoner by the Japanese in April 1942.

During his captivity, Hubbard was a P.O.W. in the Bataan Death March, was used as slave labor and survived the prisoner transport “hell ship” Nissyo Maru’s trip to Japan. By the time Hubbard was liberated following the Japanese surrender on April 15th, 1945, years of physical abuse saw the once-strong soldier reduced to just 85 pounds.

After retiring from APSU, he told his story in the book “Apocalypse Undone, My Survival of Japanese Imprisonment during World War II.”

As a part of his legacy at Austin Peay, Hubbard was honored with the Dr. Preston Hubbard Scholarship Endowment. This scholarship, established in 2003, provides a $500 annual award to a sophomore with a declared major in history, at least 12 semester hours in history with a 3.5 GPA in history and an overall 3.0 GPA.

For more information on the Dr. Preston Hubbard Scholarship Endowment, contact the contact the APSU History Department at 931.221.7919.

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