Stapleton D. Gooch, IV

If you want to learn about the history of Tampa, I can think of no better way than by sitting with an architectural historian. Stapleton Gooch is one of the most respected and well known in this field. His personal successes and lasting contributions are intertwined directly with the University Club. But, before I get too far ahead of myself, there is a lot of interesting history with his family that I should mention first. Very few families can trace their lineage as far back as Stapleton. An early descendant in Virginia was Lieutenant Henry Gooch. Henry’s brother was Royal Governor Sir William Gooch, who was directly appointed to run the colony of Virginia by the King of England. Sir William never had any children and many of his personal items were passed down through Henry’s family. Stapleton actually has in his possession, a letter from Sir William. Stapleton’s grandfather (who, from the picture on his foyer wall, is a spitting image of Stapleton) left Virginia as a chemical engineer to work with DuPont. He then moved to Florida. His grandfather developed a new method for processing phosphate. Later, the University of Virginia honored him with the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa award for this accomplishment. Fast forward. Stapleton’s family has owned a home in North Carolina for generations. It is here that the University Club first made its debut in his life. While vacationing, Stapleton had the opportunity to meet Harry MacEwen. As some of you may know, Harry was the 40th president of the University Club. Harry offered Stapleton a job to work as a draftsman for his company. Even though Stapleton was an architectural historian by trade, he accepted. Harry later introduced Stapleton to Mills Lane, former chair of C&S Bank in Atlanta. Not long after the introduction was made, Stapleton was asked to redesign the interiors of eleven of their branch locations. To this day, Stapleton’s company, Stapleton Gooch, Incorporated, continues to help numerous commercial and residential clients with their interiors, as well as landscape design. Stapleton has personally hand-selected many of the items that fill the walls and halls of the University Club. He is also the gentleman who actually designed the crest of the University Club. The gears on the crest were chosen to symbolize industry, the book symbolizes learning, and the minarets were chosen to symbolize one of the most interesting architectural structures in downtown Tampa. Stapleton has been written up in Veranda Magazine and will soon have several clients’ homes showcased in a new book titled, Spectacular Homes of the West Coast. Recently, he traveled to Toronto, where he had the pleasure of dining at one of our reciprocal clubs, the University Club of Toronto. Stapleton is a fantastic storyteller and a lifelong friend and fan of the University Club of Tampa.