Tommy Hughes, also called Tom, was the son of Thomas Walter Hughes, Sr., and Lucile Gorin Hughes. He was born 2 Jan 1929 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah, Chatham Co, Georgia. Tommy's parents divorced during his 1st year and he & his mother lived with her parents, Dr. & Mrs. James Wilson Gorin in Savannah. At that time he was known as Tommy Gorin Hughes but took back his birth name after he & his father were reunited later in life. First introduced to his father, Walter, around age 11 or 12, Walter would come to Savannah & stay at DeSoto Hotel during visits. After moving with his mother's family "back" to Kentucky, Tom subsequently made trips to Atlanta for visits staying in the home of his Grandmother Hughes, an apartment where his father also lived.
Tom was raised in Franklin, KY., and attended the Franklin Christian Church where he was baptised in 1943 by Brother H. H. Adamson. He graduated from Franklin High School, Franklin, KY, and attended Western Kentucky State College, now WKU. He was a graduate of the Progressive School of Photography, New Haven, CT.
For his first commercial photography studio,he divided up the rear half of the 2nd floor of his family's Wilson Building (on Franklin, Kentucky's town square) into several rooms. The studio opened off an upstairs hall which he shared with Dr. J. J. Kelly whose offices overlooked Cedar Street. Tom had a small, attractive reception room with seating, a huge, well-lit studio/office, and off of that, a fairly good-sized darkroom (see photo). That upstairs hall was accessed by stairs from West Cedar Street at street level, the door to the stairs was to the left of Gillespie's Men's Store. That hall also had rear stairs down to the parking area off the alley.
During the Korean Conflict in the early 1950's Tommy served in the U.S. Army, both in the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" and in the infantry. Finally, after significant problems with both feet he was given an honorable medical discharge due to severe flat feet, problems that were to plague him the rest of his life at photo shoots and in the darkroom. Years later, after his retirement, he was discovered to have spent most of his life handicapped by a hole in his heart, a congenital defect repaired finally at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
Tommy was employed as a photographer by Ches Johnson’s Photography in Bowling Green, Ky., where he made his home for the rest of his life. On 11 Aug 1956 he married Nancy Boyd Hammond in Middleton, KY. Nancy was a teacher in the Bowling Green Schools and she & Tommy had one child, Amy Jeanette.
He worked for Ches for many years and then opened his own studio in Bowling Green where he specialized in portraits, weddings, and commercial photography, especially aerial work. Astronomy was Tom's hobby and he was a member of the Bowling Green Rotary Club, the Astronomy Club, and Sons of the American Revolution, as well as a Kentucky Colonel.
After a massive coronary event at his home he was attended in the Bowling Green Medical Center ICCU where he died several days later due to complications on 15 Sep 2008, Bowling Green, Warren Co., Kentucky. After a Christian memorial service Tom was buried next to his wife, Nancy, at Fairview Cemetery, Bowling Green, Warren Co., KY. A reception was held afterward at Mariah’s where family & friends could celebrate his life. He was survived by his daughter Amy Hughes Wood (Mrs. Franklin Wood), grandsons Andrew Thomas Wood and Paul Franklin Wood, and several cousins.
Prior to his death a retrospective of his early work was exhibited in Franklin, KY, at The Gallery on the Square. In 2010 a compilation of his Bowling Green photographs was published by his daughter.
Tom was raised in Franklin, KY., and attended the Franklin Christian Church where he was baptised in 1943 by Brother H. H. Adamson. He graduated from Franklin High School, Franklin, KY, and attended Western Kentucky State College, now WKU. He was a graduate of the Progressive School of Photography, New Haven, CT.
For his first commercial photography studio,he divided up the rear half of the 2nd floor of his family's Wilson Building (on Franklin, Kentucky's town square) into several rooms. The studio opened off an upstairs hall which he shared with Dr. J. J. Kelly whose offices overlooked Cedar Street. Tom had a small, attractive reception room with seating, a huge, well-lit studio/office, and off of that, a fairly good-sized darkroom (see photo). That upstairs hall was accessed by stairs from West Cedar Street at street level, the door to the stairs was to the left of Gillespie's Men's Store. That hall also had rear stairs down to the parking area off the alley.
During the Korean Conflict in the early 1950's Tommy served in the U.S. Army, both in the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" and in the infantry. Finally, after significant problems with both feet he was given an honorable medical discharge due to severe flat feet, problems that were to plague him the rest of his life at photo shoots and in the darkroom. Years later, after his retirement, he was discovered to have spent most of his life handicapped by a hole in his heart, a congenital defect repaired finally at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
Tommy was employed as a photographer by Ches Johnson’s Photography in Bowling Green, Ky., where he made his home for the rest of his life. On 11 Aug 1956 he married Nancy Boyd Hammond in Middleton, KY. Nancy was a teacher in the Bowling Green Schools and she & Tommy had one child, Amy Jeanette.
He worked for Ches for many years and then opened his own studio in Bowling Green where he specialized in portraits, weddings, and commercial photography, especially aerial work. Astronomy was Tom's hobby and he was a member of the Bowling Green Rotary Club, the Astronomy Club, and Sons of the American Revolution, as well as a Kentucky Colonel.
After a massive coronary event at his home he was attended in the Bowling Green Medical Center ICCU where he died several days later due to complications on 15 Sep 2008, Bowling Green, Warren Co., Kentucky. After a Christian memorial service Tom was buried next to his wife, Nancy, at Fairview Cemetery, Bowling Green, Warren Co., KY. A reception was held afterward at Mariah’s where family & friends could celebrate his life. He was survived by his daughter Amy Hughes Wood (Mrs. Franklin Wood), grandsons Andrew Thomas Wood and Paul Franklin Wood, and several cousins.
Prior to his death a retrospective of his early work was exhibited in Franklin, KY, at The Gallery on the Square. In 2010 a compilation of his Bowling Green photographs was published by his daughter.
Tommy Hughes, also called Tom, was the son of Thomas Walter Hughes, Sr., and Lucile Gorin Hughes. He was born 2 Jan 1929 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah, Chatham Co, Georgia. Tommy's parents divorced during his 1st year and he & his mother lived with her parents, Dr. & Mrs. James Wilson Gorin in Savannah. At that time he was known as Tommy Gorin Hughes but took back his birth name after he & his father were reunited later in life. First introduced to his father, Walter, around age 11 or 12, Walter would come to Savannah & stay at DeSoto Hotel during visits. After moving with his mother's family "back" to Kentucky, Tom subsequently made trips to Atlanta for visits staying in the home of his Grandmother Hughes, an apartment where his father also lived.
Tom was raised in Franklin, KY., and attended the Franklin Christian Church where he was baptised in 1943 by Brother H. H. Adamson. He graduated from Franklin High School, Franklin, KY, and attended Western Kentucky State College, now WKU. He was a graduate of the Progressive School of Photography, New Haven, CT.
For his first commercial photography studio,he divided up the rear half of the 2nd floor of his family's Wilson Building (on Franklin, Kentucky's town square) into several rooms. The studio opened off an upstairs hall which he shared with Dr. J. J. Kelly whose offices overlooked Cedar Street. Tom had a small, attractive reception room with seating, a huge, well-lit studio/office, and off of that, a fairly good-sized darkroom (see photo). That upstairs hall was accessed by stairs from West Cedar Street at street level, the door to the stairs was to the left of Gillespie's Men's Store. That hall also had rear stairs down to the parking area off the alley.
During the Korean Conflict in the early 1950's Tommy served in the U.S. Army, both in the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" and in the infantry. Finally, after significant problems with both feet he was given an honorable medical discharge due to severe flat feet, problems that were to plague him the rest of his life at photo shoots and in the darkroom. Years later, after his retirement, he was discovered to have spent most of his life handicapped by a hole in his heart, a congenital defect repaired finally at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
Tommy was employed as a photographer by Ches Johnson’s Photography in Bowling Green, Ky., where he made his home for the rest of his life. On 11 Aug 1956 he married Nancy Boyd Hammond in Middleton, KY. Nancy was a teacher in the Bowling Green Schools and she & Tommy had one child, Amy Jeanette.
He worked for Ches for many years and then opened his own studio in Bowling Green where he specialized in portraits, weddings, and commercial photography, especially aerial work. Astronomy was Tom's hobby and he was a member of the Bowling Green Rotary Club, the Astronomy Club, and Sons of the American Revolution, as well as a Kentucky Colonel.
After a massive coronary event at his home he was attended in the Bowling Green Medical Center ICCU where he died several days later due to complications on 15 Sep 2008, Bowling Green, Warren Co., Kentucky. After a Christian memorial service Tom was buried next to his wife, Nancy, at Fairview Cemetery, Bowling Green, Warren Co., KY. A reception was held afterward at Mariah’s where family & friends could celebrate his life. He was survived by his daughter Amy Hughes Wood (Mrs. Franklin Wood), grandsons Andrew Thomas Wood and Paul Franklin Wood, and several cousins.
Prior to his death a retrospective of his early work was exhibited in Franklin, KY, at The Gallery on the Square. In 2010 a compilation of his Bowling Green photographs was published by his daughter.
Tom was raised in Franklin, KY., and attended the Franklin Christian Church where he was baptised in 1943 by Brother H. H. Adamson. He graduated from Franklin High School, Franklin, KY, and attended Western Kentucky State College, now WKU. He was a graduate of the Progressive School of Photography, New Haven, CT.
For his first commercial photography studio,he divided up the rear half of the 2nd floor of his family's Wilson Building (on Franklin, Kentucky's town square) into several rooms. The studio opened off an upstairs hall which he shared with Dr. J. J. Kelly whose offices overlooked Cedar Street. Tom had a small, attractive reception room with seating, a huge, well-lit studio/office, and off of that, a fairly good-sized darkroom (see photo). That upstairs hall was accessed by stairs from West Cedar Street at street level, the door to the stairs was to the left of Gillespie's Men's Store. That hall also had rear stairs down to the parking area off the alley.
During the Korean Conflict in the early 1950's Tommy served in the U.S. Army, both in the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" and in the infantry. Finally, after significant problems with both feet he was given an honorable medical discharge due to severe flat feet, problems that were to plague him the rest of his life at photo shoots and in the darkroom. Years later, after his retirement, he was discovered to have spent most of his life handicapped by a hole in his heart, a congenital defect repaired finally at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
Tommy was employed as a photographer by Ches Johnson’s Photography in Bowling Green, Ky., where he made his home for the rest of his life. On 11 Aug 1956 he married Nancy Boyd Hammond in Middleton, KY. Nancy was a teacher in the Bowling Green Schools and she & Tommy had one child, Amy Jeanette.
He worked for Ches for many years and then opened his own studio in Bowling Green where he specialized in portraits, weddings, and commercial photography, especially aerial work. Astronomy was Tom's hobby and he was a member of the Bowling Green Rotary Club, the Astronomy Club, and Sons of the American Revolution, as well as a Kentucky Colonel.
After a massive coronary event at his home he was attended in the Bowling Green Medical Center ICCU where he died several days later due to complications on 15 Sep 2008, Bowling Green, Warren Co., Kentucky. After a Christian memorial service Tom was buried next to his wife, Nancy, at Fairview Cemetery, Bowling Green, Warren Co., KY. A reception was held afterward at Mariah’s where family & friends could celebrate his life. He was survived by his daughter Amy Hughes Wood (Mrs. Franklin Wood), grandsons Andrew Thomas Wood and Paul Franklin Wood, and several cousins.
Prior to his death a retrospective of his early work was exhibited in Franklin, KY, at The Gallery on the Square. In 2010 a compilation of his Bowling Green photographs was published by his daughter.
