Donna Crabtree Hutcheson Ph.D., of Frisco, Texas passed away on June 8, 2019. She was born on January 1, 1948 to Lora Belle (Durham) Mitchell and Hulen Crabtree in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She began her extraordinary life on the first page of the Chattanooga newspaper as the first baby born in 1948 and didn’t stop there. On February 17, 1979, Donna married Gregory Vaughn Cole in Garland, Texas. True to her character, instead of an ordinary wedding day there was a paralyzing ice storm. We had to write “Just Married” on the inside of the car windows.
Donna is survived by her husband, Greg Cole; sister, Treva Mitchell Parker and husband, Tony; niece, Cassy Parker; nephew, Eric Parker; niece Holly Mitchell Gothard; forever friend, Dr. Pati Milligan; Goddaughters Dr. Mindy Milligan Reeves and Dr. Mitzi Milligan Taylor; three aunts, Lenora Yarbrough, Brenda Dean, and Ula Mae Hardeman, and uncle Enos Durham; brother-in-law Parker Cole; sister-in-law Ronda Cole Stewart and husband Paul.
Donna was preceded in death by her mother, Lora Belle Mitchell; step-father, Roland Mitchell; sister, Debbie Mitchell.
A Memorial Service will be held at Watermere Senior Living in the ballroom, 4220 Cotton Gin Road, Frisco, Texas 75034, on Saturday, July 20, 2019 at 1:00. Inurnment will be held at DFW National Cemetery at 11, 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, 75211 at 11:00 on July 19, 2019.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to TAMUC Foundation, PO Box 3425, Commerce, TX 75429, Memo line “ Hutcheson-Cole Computer Science Excellence Fund”.
DONNA AS A TEACHER: Donna began her teaching career in elementary school when her teachers asked her to help the other students after she finished her own work. Donna was Valedictorian of her Rossville, Georgia High School class of 1965. Even though she was told that girls didn’t need to go to college she was determined. She won college scholarships and worked while making top grades to graduate with a B. S. degree in education with mathematics as her teaching field from the University of Georgia. After graduation she taught mathematics in Rossville where little sister Treva was her favorite student. She has always made a real difference in student’s lives especially when teaching math at racially segregated Luci Baines Johnson High School in Augusta, Georgia. While working on her master’s degree in mathematics she got in on the ground floor of computer science education and changed majors and schools.
Donna discovered that East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas was one of a very few universities that offered a Master’s of Science in Computer Science. So she moved to Texas in 1972 sight unseen. She was a graduate teaching assistant while getting her degree was then hired as a Computer Science instructor. While at ETSU Donna and Department Chairman Dr. Alton R. Goddard developed and chaired the first three annual Computer Science Conferences. Donna was able to acquire noted computer scientists and industry moguls including as guest speaker for two of the conferences, Admiral Grace Hopper, the world’s first modern programmer and Ross Perot of Electronic Data Systems.
At ETSU, she was member and officer including President of Phi Delta Kappa, international organization of educational professionals, Charter member of Epsilon Delta Pi Computer Science honor society, member and faculty sponsor for student chapter of ACM, computer science professional society, and faculty sponsor of AFROTC. Donna and her colleague Pati were chaperons for the ETSU ROTC’s trip to Washington D.C. which started with a flight on a C130 cargo plane with webbing for seats, non-pressurized cabin and no facilities. She played on a university bowling team, city softball team, and tennis just for fun. After six wonderful years in Commerce she moved to Dallas.
DONNA AS A PROFESSIONAL: Donna Hutcheson was a far-sighted woman who grasped the importance of computers and related controls early in her career, then parlayed that vision to become a remarkable leader in the burgeoning field of Technology. As of 1978, Donna had obtained a position in Information Technology for Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) in Dallas, where she worked for 20 years. Her accomplishments included the implementation, management and/or audit of over 30 technical systems across 15 countries. By 1997, Donna had a PhD in Technology Management from UCLA, held Certification as an IS Auditor (CISA), and began consulting on technology projects for start-ups as well as global corporations. In addition, Donna taught IT and IT audit classes at Texas A&M University in Commerce, where she took a personal interest in her students, nurturing many to successful careers in IT, audit, and business.
Upon joining the North Texas chapter of the IS Audit and Control Association (ISACA), Donna soon took on the role of Vice President - Academic Relations where she led a number of ground-breaking initiatives that helped propel the chapter to become one of the largest in the world and most awarded. In that capacity, she actively worked on the International Academic Relations Committee to develop ISACA’s recommended model curriculum that was internationally approved and published to guide educational institutions globally in teaching a common understanding of IT audit and cyber security principles. As an inaugural member of the SMU EMIS Distinguished Advisory Council, she assisted that university in becoming one of the first institutions in the world to become certified in the ISACA model curriculum.
Donna routinely travelled to clients and educational institutions to consult and deliver training. She wrote articles for national journals and spoke at national and international conferences on auditing, training, use and controls for technology, especially Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. In 2006, Donna accepted a full-time position as Director of IT Audit at Energy Future Holdings (formerly TXU) where she led a team of IT auditors, still training and grooming young IT auditors. Towards the end of her career, Donna stepped back into consulting and continued her work with ISACA and its activities with area universities, such as the popular Business Etiquette luncheons which brought students and audit executives together to practice formal manners and networking. Not only was Donna Hutcheson a leader in the Technology and IT audit profession, she also mentored and enriched the careers of students, staff, clients and co-workers for decades.
DONNA AS A WORLD TRAVELER: Donna was born where three states connect Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and she spent her childhood there. As a teenager she added Florida to the list. In Commerce, Texas she took advantage of university spring breaks and camped on the way to Carlsbad Caverns and Big Bend National Park trailering off road motorcycles. Back to Florida but this time to the Everglades and the newly opened Disney World. Other spring breaks or long weekends were to Cayman Islands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Latvia, Germany, Turkey, Western Canada, England, Spain, Gibraltar, and Panama. She took her mother on an around the world tour including England, Italy, Greece, Australia and back to California.
Donna’s education and auditing expertise drew her to write papers and present them at conferences all around the world including Puerto Vallarta, Ireland, Portugal, France, Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas, and many more. As an auditor for ARCO International she traveled extensively to ARCO sites all around Alaska especially Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Circle. ARCO sent her to several islands in Indonesia and Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan.
For vacations Greg and Donna often took friends and family for annual visits to Ouray, Colorado and Boston. They drove up the east coast from Georgia to Nova Scotia and all states in between. Some other trips were to Seattle, Napa Valley, the Finger Lakes of New York, Jamaica, St. Martens, Puerto Vallarta, St. Thomas, Belize, Guatemala and Cozumel.
Donna was unique and she always did it her way. She even died on Greg’s birthday so he wouldn’t forget. As if he could.
We love you Donna and will never forget you!