He majored in chemical engineering, was a member of Dial Lodge, roomed with Bernard Strickman, and had several campus jobs. Joining the Army after graduation, he was assigned to a highly secret biological weapons research lab. He then began a long career as a food-process engineer, starting with Quaker Oats in Chicago. His research work for Ken-L Ration, Burry Biscuit, Schaefer Brewing, and Keebler led to the development of several innovative food products, and he was manager of major plants and product lines. 

In 1982 Hugh was appointed vice president of King & Prince Seafood, the largest packer of frozen shrimp in the world, in Brunswick, Ga. Upon retirement in 1994, he and his wife, Marie, settled on St. Simons Island, where they lived until Hugo’s death May 25, 2021. His wife, a son, and a daughter survive him.