Charles Elgin McGough was called home on March 29, 2024. Chuck, or Chas as he is known in the art community, was born August 2, 1927 in Elmhurst, Illinois, the son of Lancelot Alpheus and Esther Betty McGough. The McGoughs eventually moved to San Angelo, Texas and after high school graduation, young Charles entered the United States Navy V5 program. It was at the end of WWII, and he flew an F4U Corsair. Prior to his high school graduation, he had met a young woman at a friend’s party. They would go on to see each other every time he was home on leave from the Navy, and in December of 1947, he married Billie (Bebe) Jean Ray. They raised four children and were married 60 years before Bebe passed away. Almost buried in grief, he took a chance and found Gail Goldie Davis, on eHarmony. Blessed to find great love for a second time, he and Gail married in 2009.
Everything Chas touched became a piece of art to be admired. His creative spirit was unstoppable. He was the lead set designer for a traveling production of Brigadoon and Carousel. He designed window displays for J.C. Penney. Known for his silk-screen prints and most notably for his watercolors, he had solo shows in various galleries in Dallas, Tulsa, Chicago, and Lima, Peru. His artwork is in over one hundred public and private collections, many of which are purchase awards. He was Art Director for Crain Advertising of Tulsa, an art instructor for Dallas ISD, and in 1956 he accepted the position as Art department head at East Texas State University in Commerce. He built up the Art department from scratch and discovered his real love for teaching. Under his direction, the Art department received a Plastic Research Grant with Departmental show at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, and over the course of many years, students from the Art department won top awards in the most prestigious competitions and went on to be leaders in their respective areas of art. He found avenues to have his artwork uploaded and printed onto clothing and home decor as well as wallpaper for purchase online. In his later years, he started creating and designing sculptures out of Styrofoam.
Chas was also an active member of the American Begonia Society, and is known for his hybrid begonias, most notably “White Ice.” He was active in his church as an elder and taught the adult Sunday School class on a regular basis.
Charles is survived by his wife Gail; sons Steve and wife Elizabeth, Marlon and wife Susan, Randy and wife Susie; daughter Laura and husband Javier; grandchildren Lancelot Aaron Lozano, Heather Dawn McGough, Heather Miller and husband Glenn; great-grandson Coel Miller; several nephews and nieces. Also Stacy and husband Wylie, Charles and wife Mary, Karen, Scott and wife Rosa, Jennifer and husband Shaun, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren from his marriage to Gail. He is preceded in death by his first wife Bebe, his parents, brothers Dick and David, and daughter-in-law Donna.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Sunday, May 19 at 3:00 PM at Commerce Funeral Home, 1505 Washington, Commerce.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to The American Begonia Society at www.begonias.org/donate or the “Wathena Temple Memorial Scholarship Fund” at Texas A&M University-Commerce.
