Class Acts

For his exceptional contributions to the built environment and the profession of architecture and is adept editorial skills, Chris Grossnicklaus, a 2006 Texas A&M Master of Architecture graduate, has earned a Texas Society of Architects Associate of the Year Honor Award.

When septuagenarians Ken and Claire Stevens needed an addition to their Tacoma, Wash. home to accommodate Ken’s symptoms from Alzheimer’s syndrome, they turned to Ko Wibowo, who earned a Master of Architecture degree at Texas A&M in 1996.

Former students are invited to submit items for the Class Acts section of the arch|one e-newsletter, 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.

Ralph Gordon Echols, Texas A&M professor emeritus of landscape architecture and urban planning and a former College of Architecture associate dean, died Friday, July 18, 2014 at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital in Virginia.

Six former students from Texas A&M’s College of Architecture who have risen to the top of their respective fields while making significant public service contributions will be honored as outstanding alumni during an Oct. 17, 2014 banquet at the Miramont Country Club in Bryan, Texas.

SIGGRAPH 2014, the world’s premier computer graphics and interactive techniques conference, will once again feature a large presence from faculty and students at Texas A&M’s Department of Visualization.

James H. Marsh '51, the first head of the Department of Construction Science at Texas A&M University (1969-81), passed away Saturday, April 26 at his Caldwell, Texas home. He was 83 years old.

Gignac Architects, a design firm with two generations of former students holding Master of Architecture degrees, was ranked fifth among all firms that designed K-12 education facilities with construction starts in a recent 2.5 year period.

For achieving a standard of excellence in the architecture profession and for significant contributors to architecture and society, seven Texas A&M former students have been elevated into the prestigious American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.

Significant architectural accomplishments, community activism and a commitment to advancing diversity within her profession led to an American Institute of Architects Young Architect Award for Lorena Toffer, a 2004 Master of Architecture graduate.

Nominations for the 2014 College of Architecture Outstanding Alumni Awards, which annually recognize former students of exceptional accomplishment, are being accepted through Feb. 24, 2014.

James Toal ’69, a planning and economic development expert whose distinguished career included a leading role in what WFAA-TV called the biggest urban makeover in Fort Worth’s history, died at his home Dec. 22, 2013.

Former students are invited to submit items for the Class Acts section of the arch|one e-newsletter, 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.

Outstanding College of Architecture Alumnus and decorated World War II veteran William Peña ’42 ARCH received France’s highest honor, the medal of Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, during a 2013 Veterans Day ceremony held at Minute Maid Park.

The season of giving is also one of the busiest times of year for donations to the College of Architecture, as many former students include the college and their own departments for end-of-year donations.