Class Acts

When Texas A&M construction science students move into their new Francis Hall headquarters next year, they're lessons will be enhanced by a new state-of-the-art audiovisual classroom made possible by a $150,000 combined gift from Balfour Beatty Construction and Robert Van Cleave ‘81, the company’s chairman and CEO.

Preston M. Geren, Jr., an avid supporter of the Texas A&M College of Architecture whose family history is deeply tied to the Texas A&M architecture program, passed away peacefully Wednesday, June 12, 2013. He was 89.

Dr. Joseph J. McGraw, Professor Emeritus of the Texas A&M University College of Architecture and first head of the college's Department of Urban Planning, died Monday, June 3, 2013 in College Station. He was 86 years old.

Enhancing the stature of construction certification offered by the American Institute of Constructors is a goal of the organization's new president, David Fleming ’75, a former student and avid supporter of Texas A&M’s Department of Construction Science.

Former students are invited to submit items for the Class Acts section, which highlights professional achievements, as well as news briefs about marriages, births, retirements and whatever else former students care to share with the college community. News and photos may be e-mailed directly to the editor.

Six former students from Texas A&M’s College of Architecture who have risen to the top of their professional field while making significant public service contributions were honored Oct. 11, 2013 as outstanding alumni.

The Texas A&M Department of Architecture hosted a reception for former students and friends June 21 at the Embassy Suites Hotel during the AIA national convention in Denver.

Funeral services for Thomas McKittrick ’91, who became an architecture educator at Texas A&M University in 1990 after a stellar 28-year career as a professional architect, took place April 27, 2013 at the Rice Chapel in Rice University’s student center.

Decades of leadership in the construction industry and support of education at Texas A&M have netted James R. Thompson ’68 the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor granted by The Association of Former Students.

Architecture firms are turning to video as a branding tool that combines a design philosophy and visuals of completed projects, said former Texas A&M environmental design student Andrew Pogue, ’07, a Denver-based videographer and photographer.

Students gain plenty of “real-world” experience in concrete construction management and the preservation of historic concrete structures while interning in one of two programs led by Tanya Wattenburg Komas ’05, an architecture Ph.D. graduate from Texas A&M University.

A list of the 25 most beautiful Houstonians, selected by H magazine for the depth of their commitment to community service, includes Ben Johnston ‘02, a former environmental design student at Texas A&M.

Anthony Haas ’79, a senior principal at WHR Architects and 2007 Outstanding Alumnus of the Texas A&M College of Architecture, has been elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, one of the highest honors the AIA bestows on its members.

Celebrating its 20th year, Viz-a-GoGo, the annual showcase of student work from the visualization programs at Texas A&M University, took its audience on a time-traveling adventure — in a DeLorean, no less — with a series of interstitial stories paying tribute to the program's heritage.

A high-tech, permanent installation in the Memorial Student Center portraying Texas A&M students past and present, designed in part by a former environmental design student, was activated by university president R. Bowen Loftin during a ceremony Friday, Feb. 22, 2013.