William Hough Leaves Lasting Impact on SPC

5/5/2020

Pictured, left to right: Paul Wilborn, Executive Director of the SPC Palladium Theater, William (Bill) and Hazel Hough

Bill and Hazel Hough, longtime supporters of the arts and education, envisioned a community theater in St. Petersburg where local arts organizations and entertainers could showcase their talents. Their vision evolved into The Palladium theater in 1997 when the Houghs, along with a group of friends, bought the Christian Science Church. The theater was then gifted to St. Petersburg College, and is the largest gift made to the school.

Bill Hough, a successful investment banker, died April 11 eight months after his wife, Hazel passed away.

The Palladium is just one of the community landmarks and other causes the Houghs made possible or supported. Because of their love and support for the Sunshine City and St. Petersburg College, the Houghs were inducted into the SPC Alumni Hall of Distinction in June 1999 after receiving honorary degrees from SPC.

"Without Bill Hough, so much that we love about St. Petersburg would not be here. Bill was a visionary. He bet heavily on his adopted home of St. Petersburg, investing in education and the arts," Palladium Executive Director Paul Wilborn wrote on his blog after Hough died at age 93. "I was always happy when I saw he and Hazel in their favorite seats, adjacent to the center staircase in Hough Hall."

Bill Hough moved from Ft. Myers to St. Petersburg when he was 10 years old. He graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1944 and went to Miami University in Ohio then earned an M.B.A. from the University of Florida. After a stint on Wall Street, Hough returned to St. Petersburg and eventually started William R. Hough & Co investment firm in 1962.

Along with The Palladium, the Houghs were also major contributors to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Dali Museum, The Florida Orchestra and American Stage.

"As the Palladium faces unprecedented challenges, I promise Bill and Hazel that the theater will survive," Willborn said. "We will return to serve the community they loved, and will always honor their memory and vision."