David Hans Hough

He was born on October 28, 1958 at Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield, New Jersey. He grew up in South Plainfield, New Jersey. As a child he wanted to be an astronaut; he became an astronomer.

He graduated from South Plainfield High School as the Valedictorian of his class. He attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, which was a transformative experience. He graduated from Penn summa cum laude with a degree in Physics and Astronomy. At age twenty-one he drove across the country, stopped for a summer job at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Socorro New Mexico, and then entered a Ph.D. program at the California Institute of Technology. He graduated from CalTech in 1986 with a Ph.D in Astronomy. He served as a postdoctoral fellow first at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and then at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany.

In 1989 he accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He taught at Trinity University, becoming a full Professor in 2001, and pursued his research interests in extra galactic radio astronomy for 27 years. His research focused on distant galaxies with powerful cores known as “active galactic nuclei,” using arrays of radio telescopes to produce high resolution images. He ran experiments on the instruments operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Very Long Baseline Array and the Very Large Array, collaborated with colleagues at other institutions, and published his research. He taught general physics to premedical students, doing everything he could to help them succeed. He taught electromagnetic fields and astrophysics to physics majors, many of whom went on to careers as research scientists and now serve as faculty at major universities. He served as the Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Trinity for eight years and as Chair of the Texas Section of the American Physical Society.

He retired from Trinity in 2014 in order to pursue his research interests without the pressure of a full teaching load, although he continued to each one or two classes a year for several years thereafter. His greatest regret was not being able to complete the analysis of his data and the publication of his research before his death due to his health.

He loved classical music, wiffle ball, baseball, hockey, and Texas history. He never forgot a friend or a student, remaining in contact with multiple friends from childhood and college until his death and former students for years after he taught them. He was an active member of Christ Lutheran Church, serving on the Church Council until his death. He was patient and kind, even as his health deteriorated and his suffering increased.

He is survived by his wife, Gina De Gennaro, and children Lucia Hough and Stephen Hough. He is also survived by his sister, Linda Stewart, and her children, Janice Stewart and Michael Stewart, sister-in-law Laura Jung, and husband Ted Jung, and their children, Christopher Jung and Katherine Jung, and numerous friends, colleagues, and former students around the country and across the world.

The family thanks Dr. Joe Cole and Dr. Steven Kalter and Ginger Waggener RN for their many years of intelligent care, patience, and kindness. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Christ Lutheran Church of Alamo Heights.

The memorial service will be held on July 24, 2021, at 2 pm at Christ Lutheran Church of Alamo Heights.