Bill Hughes’ Great Heart Gave Out

I was so sorry to learn of Bill Hughes’s death on August 30, 2022 as posted on Marco Patriots by his daughter Jennifer.

Bill loved Marco Island history and its people, he had a great heart. With his wonderful talent in sound and film making he recorded, documented and videotaped island people, island history, and island scenes. Most importantly he helped promote the building of the Marco Island Historical Museum, almost free of charge.

I first met Bill in 1995-96 through the late Sandi Reidman, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, when our fledgling historical society was just getting organized and dreamed of building a museum on Marco Island. Sandi told me Bill’s charges were nominal and sometimes free gratis because of his interests. We historical society volunteers certainly paid him as we could.

In 1995-96 he recorded and taped the Marco Community Leaders as they met one hot summer to explore community interest in building a museum.

In 2003-04, Collier County granted the Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS) the county parking lot by the library if we could raise the money and build it in five years. It was a seemingly impossible task.

The MIHS established the Capital Campaign and Bill continued documenting progress of the campaign on film and recording the historical society programs with wonderful guest professors and Smithsonian lecturers that were invited to help raise awareness of the deep history of Marco Island from Calusa/Pioneer/Modern Marco. 

Bill recorded the first shovel full of dirt at the parking lot property for the construction and building the museum which was attended by City Commissioners, County Commissioner Donna Fiala, and other VIPs.

With his Hughes Production Company and his enormous talent, Bill created short historical videos, recorded the series of historical re-enactors, “Presidents Wives,” from 2013 – 2019 (and other historical portrayals), around the island by boat, and ‘Around the Island with Betsy’ series. He captured on video and CD: Kappy Kirk’s story of Aunt Tommie and the Heights Hotel, Tommie Barfield’s sister Hazel Higdon and the radio station she pioneered in the Virgin Islands (WIVI), Jane Hittler and her cemetery tours, Marion Blomeier’s story, Herb Savage interviews, and so many other memorable people. He posted them on the internet (MarcoIslandCommunityTV.com) for all to see. 

Bill served for many years on a Collier County Committee concerned with the water quality and the environment.

The Coastal Breeze newspaper article July 11, 2015 “Bill Hughes Wows the crowd” with “Marco in the Making” a film he premiered at the Rose History Auditorium with the late Herb Savage. The article explained that during a technical glitch at the beginning Bill entertained the crowd with a short, fun monologue. Someone was quoted as saying, “Bill’s talk alone was worth the price of admission” (which was $5.00 for non-members).

He will be greatly missed by his friends.