The naming of the newest high school in north Mecklenburg for W.A. Hough is a very appropriate action. (See Nov. 11, 2009, “It’s official: School on Bailey Rd. is ‘Hough High.’”) My family and I have only lived in Huntersville for about 15 years, but it was our privilege to have been a part of Mr. Hough’s life for his final 3 years.

Those who knew Mr. Hough knew that his involvement at First Baptist Huntersville was a very important part of his life, equal to if not exceeding his dedication to North Meck. As a candidate for a new staff position at First Baptist in the fall of 1994, I met Mr. Hough as a part of my initial visits to the church. When I accepted to the call to come on staff in January 1995, a dilemma presented itself: What was the best way to move my family with four children in the middle of the school year? After long discussions with my wife, we decided that our oldest son (14 at the time) would move immediately with me to Huntersville while my wife and 3 other children (10, 6, and 2) would move in July, letting them finish their school year in Georgia. It was that decision that prompted Mr. Hough to offer a furnished apartment in his basement for my son and me, and the use of his house on the weekends that my family visited. It was a tremendous gesture that we were grateful for, but that was just the beginning of the blessings of Mr. Hough.

W.A. Hough was rightfully known as “Mr. North Meck” – not just the school but the area as well. As a new church staff member, what better introduction to my field of service that to sit around the supper table with Mr. Hough, listening to stories of how things were, how they had changed, and more importantly, where they were going. Even in his twilight years, Mr. Hough remained the teacher, and my son and I were grateful students.

While I did not have the opportunity to meet Ruth Hough before she passed away, I feel as if I knew her, having listened to Mr. Hough’s stories of their marriage and years together. He worshiped her in the best sense of the word. When illness forced her into a wheelchair for the last years of her life, Mr. Hough was right there caring for her all the time. From others, I heard how he would lift her in and out of the car to the wheelchair, taking her wherever she wanted to go. For Mr. Hough, being a gentleman started with how he treated his wife. I learned from that, and think that my son did as well.

Mr. Hough was a Wake Forest man through and through, especially basketball. There are stories of him following the snow plows to the ACC tournament in Winston Salem, no doubt true! As season ticket holder for the Deacons, his way of introducing me to ACC basketball in the 94-95 season was at the Wake – North Carolina game. I remain a Deacon fan, if only by the energy and enthusiasm an 80 year old man showed for “his” team.

Each of my four children have attended North Meck High School. Three have graduated and the fourth is a junior. Because he will be a senior when Hough High opens, he will stay at North Meck even though our residence puts him in the new school. That’s a fitting way to honor Mr. Hough for our family-four children, four years apart, spending their high school careers at North Meck, which was shaped by Mr. Hough and the students who followed in his footsteps.

I close with my most profound and moving memory of W. A. Hough. A tremendous man of faith, he loved his Lord deeply. The apartment in his house that my son and I lived in for six months was directly underneath Mr. Hough’s bedroom. Every day, early in the morning, we heard a thump on the floor as this gentle giant bowed on his knees and prayed – out loud – for everyone who was on his mind that day. Family was always first, and then came church friends, and then others. For over six months, it was my privilege and blessing to be counted as part of W. A. Hough’s family, and to have this godly man pray for me and my family as if we were his own.

Which, by his standards, we were.

Bob, Anita, Jonathan, Jason, Amy, and Aaron Adams
Huntersville

More news and comments

Read Laurie Dennis’s Nov. 11 news report about the new school name, including more about Mr. Hough, as well as other reader comments, at  “It’s official: School on Bailey Rd. is ‘Hough High.’”