The Woodlands mourns loss of Coulson Tough, architect and community leader

"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Coulson Tough," CISD officials said in a statement. "He made a tremendous impact on our community. We are proud that his legacy will live on in our school bearing his name."

Superintendent Curtis Null also offered remarks on Tough's death.

"[I am] sad to hear of the passing of Mr. Coulson Tough," Null said. "He was a fine man, community leader and the namesake of [Coulson Tough Elementary School]."

Officials in The Woodlands Township remembered Tough in a statement as well.

"The Township mourns the passing of Coulson Tough, one of the original visionaries of The Woodlands. We are thankful for his contributions to our hometown," officials said in a statement.

In addition to his work as an architect and as a member of the CISD board of trustees, Tough was also a past chair of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce in 1985-86, President and CEO J.J. Hollie said.

"I had the distinct pleasure of spending a lot of time with Coulson over the past few years ... and I got to listen to him, and he was an absolutely amazing individual," Hollie said. "The thing I most appreciate is that a lot of communities don’t have the advantage of having the people around that started the communities. ... He had great stories about how The Woodlands was created and some of the hurdles they had to overcome."

The Howard Hughes Corp., which has owned The Woodlands Development Co. since 2011, remembered Tough as an instrumental leader in the formation of The Woodlands.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Coulson Tough," said Jim Carman, president of The Howard Hughes Corp., Houston Region. "Mr. Tough had a significant role as a leader in the design and creation of The Woodlands we know today. We will always consider Coulson as one of the founding members of The Woodlands and as a friend."

in a statement, The Howard Hughes Corp. described Tough's work with Mitchell and the development company since 1973 in the initial commercial design and development of The Woodlands. Tough retired in 2003. He also played a major role in the creation of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center, according to The Howard Hughes Corp. Tough was the first recipient of The Woodlands Hometown Heroes award in 1999 and was also a member of The Woodlands Rotary Club.