William H. Rough ’61

Bill died May 27, 2024, in Charlottesville, Va., where he lived for many years.

Born in Washington, D.C., he came to us from the Landon School. At Princeton, he majored in English drama; was in the Glee Club, Triangle, and the Student Christian Association; and took his meals at Key & Seal. His senior-year roommates were Hal Lackey, Bill Buxton, Dave Palmer, Russ Tremaine, Mahlon Jones, Contee Seely, Dick Webster, and Chuck Watson. After a one-year hiatus, he graduated with the Class of 1962.

Then followed a master’s degree in international education at Columbia and a career in teaching high school English, co-founding the Peacham School (an alternative school in Vermont), and then college teaching, with freelance work as a director, playwright, and actor in and around Charlottesville. Along the way, Bill acquired an MFA in drama at the University of Virginia. He was active in local theater groups and was president of the National Secondary School Theater Association.

Bill is survived by his wife of 59 years, Joan; son Mark; daughter Lisa; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.