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Tom Touchton: Citizen Of Year

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 10, 2009

Visit the dynamic Tampa Bay History Center and you'll quickly appreciate the importance - and excitement - of the region's past, which featured palmetto scrub cowboys, civil rights marchers, Seminole warriors and immigrant cigarmakers.

But for the efforts of Tom Touchton, the center would not be providing riveting history lessons to local families, tourists and schoolchildren.

So it was gratifying to see Touchton, head of an investment firm, named Tampa Civitan Club's Outstanding Citizen of the Year at the Governor's Luncheon Monday at the Florida State Fair.

Touchton spearheaded the history museum effort for 20 years, overcoming all kinds of obstacles, including attacks by political showboats who called the history museum a waste of money.

Touchton persevered, devoting his time, money and brain power to the task. And he showed precisely how such a venture should be pursued.

When asking the county commission to help fund the museum's construction, he did not make wild promises about the museum's success. He and his fellow museum supporters methodically raised a robust endowment to ensure taxpayers would not be put at risk should museum attendance fall short of expectations.

It took longer this way, but Touchton never let his enthusiasm for the project cloud his regard for taxpayers.

Touchton, who has also aided the University of Tampa, St. Joseph's Hospital and other worthy causes, graciously credited others involved in the history center effort. He did have plenty of help, especially from former County Commissioner Jan Platt.

But everyone involved with the museum knows that without Touchton's resolve and enterprise, it never would have been built. A map collector, he also donated his extensive collection to the center.

Tom Touchton, in a way, helped save Tampa Bay's history, a feat that richly deserves the outstanding citizen designation.

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