Mary Gough

Mary W. Gough is a Campbell County native though she has lived in a number of other places.  Her father’s job with the Department of the Interior took them to Northern Virginia and then to the Pacific islands of Saipan and Guam where she developed a strong sense of curiosity and a love for travel. She and her sister, Ann W. Smith, returned to those islands in 2008 and again in 2010 when they were met at the airport by some of their classmates, 55 years after living there…but that is a story to be told another time.

Mary was married to Thomas E. Gough who retired from the City of Lynchburg as Safety Director for Public Works.  Tom died in 2021. Mary was an English teacher having taught at Altavista High School, E C Glass High School, and James River Day School.   They are the parents of Dabney Gough (Tyler McMahon) who lives in Honolulu and Elizabeth Gough-Gordon (Jay) who lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Mary enjoys learning about Campbell County History.  She helped establish the Campbell County Museum in the Historic Courthouse in Rustburg and edited a book on the County in the Images of America series.  She is passionate about preserving family stories.

One of her most memorable experiences was volunteering with a program in Spain that pairs native English speakers with Spaniards to learn conversational English. (No speaking Spanish was allowed.) One term she worked with teachers and another time with business people. Participating in the program was one of the most significant experiences of her life and gave her the opportunity to be a traveler rather than a tourist.

Leaving her husband’s family’s property that has been in the Gough family for six generations has been emotionally difficult, but she is looking forward to developing a new sense of community at Westminster Canterbury.