Class Acts

Texas A&M College of Architecture Outstanding Alumnus Adrian Smith, of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture in Chicago, announced today that his firm is designing yet another “World’s Tallest Building, the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea.

Honors earned by former college students, faculty and staff are noted in the July/August 2011 issue of Texas Aggie, published by The Association of Former Students. The magazine included Harold Adams ’61, Jim Thompson ’68, Ron Skaggs ’65 and others.

Southern Ellis, who holds two design degrees from Texas A&M, will be at HKS Inc.’s Dallas office working on healthcare projects and performing research as its 2011-12 healthcare fellow. “I have found an amazing opportunity to directly affect the lives of people through the creation of healing environments,” said Ellis.

Tall Furniture, a new kind of stage furniture designed and built by former student Bob Turek ’08, won first place in the do-it-yourself category of the Core77 Design Awards, which recognizes excellence in all areas of design enterprise.

Texas A&M Master of Urban Planning graduate Heather Wade ‘11, Texas’ first coastal community development agent, is creating plans with leaders in Coastal Bend counties with the twin aims of retaining the area’s coastal charm while growing in environmentally responsible ways.

Former college student Zamir Garcia ‘93, is an associate at a Philadelphia firm lauded by an architecture critic for its design of an addition to a nearby museum completed in 1916.

William L. Peel Jr., who holds two degrees from Texas A&M's College of Architecture, has been named executive vice president and chief development officer of Houston-based Tellepsen, a leader in commercial and industrial construction since its founding in 1909.

Allan R. Parr, who earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree in 1988, has been named president of REES Associates, Inc., an architectural, planning, and interior design firm with offices in 10 North American cities. Parr is a registered architect and member of the American Institute of Architects.

Former students helped take “Cars 2” all the way from Radiator Springs to Japan and Europe for a visual adventure that Lightning McQueen and Mater will never forget. The sequel was produced by Pixar and distributed by Walt Disney Studios.

As head of Ellis Custom Homes, the fourth fastest-growing small business in the Brazos Valley, Keith Ellis ’88, a construction science former student, received a Bryan Rotary/Newman 10 Award. The honor was presented to the region's 10-fastest-growing businesses.

Native Land Design, a landscape service company owned by former student Ben Collinsworth, has experienced explosive growth since 2005 when its' focus switched from residential construction to commercial maintenance.

John Murphy ‘82, dean of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s College of Architecture, has been elected secretary-treasurer of the Architecture + Construction Alliance, a national organization that aims to foster education and research efforts between the fields of architecture and construction. Murphy earned three degrees at the Texas A&M College of Architecture.

Debra Dockery, a former student at Texas A&M’s College of Architecure, has been tapped by Texas governor Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners, which regulates the practice of architecture, landscape architecture and interior design throughout the state.

Jayme Elterman ‘03, a former environmental design student, led a group of fellow students at a graduate design school in New York built Splash House, a new locker and changing room at a city pool, after designing and holding a successful fundraising campaign.

Texas A&M Vizzers worked their digital mastery in the animated martial arts flick “Kung Fu Panda 2”. Po, Master Shifu, and the Furious Five return to defend the Valley of Peace and Kung Fu itself against a new and formidable enemy in DreamWorks Animation’s 3-D sequel.