Alumnus earns TSA’s august Llewellyn W. Pitts, FAIA Medal

A distinguished career in architecture, support of emerging professionals and service to the community has netted Reagan George ’59 the Texas Society of Architects’ 2013 Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Honor of Llewelllyn W. Pitts, FAIA.

George and fellow TSA honorees will be honored at a gala banquet Nov. 8 in Fort Worth during the society’s annual [convention] (https://texasarchitects.org/v/about-the-annual-convention/) .

An [outstanding alumnus] (http://www.arch.tamu.edu/community/formerstudents/outstanding-alumni/past-honorees/123/) of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture, George began his career at a New York design firm where he was project manager for the construction of the 1,200-room Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

A member of the American Institute of Architects’ [College of Fellows] (http://network.aia.org/cof/Home/) , George has headed numerous award-winning projects throughout his career, such as an addition to the Dallas Theater Center, the Texas Hill Country’s Horseshoe Bay Resort, the Great Hall of the Apparel Mart, and two unique Dallas retail centers, the Quadrangle and the Olla Podrida.

As vice president and managing principal of Dallas’ LAN/Leo A. Daily office, George headed the creation of Texas Christian University’s first master plan and the 22-mile Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s North Central Line extension.

He was an environmental activist decades before the term “sustainability” entered the national discourse.

“In the mid-1960s, George initiated the American Institute of Architects’ Dallas Environmental Awareness Committee to foster environmental education among teachers and students in the Dallas area,” said Velpeau Hawes, another College of Architecture Outstanding Alumnus who earned an architecture degree at Texas A&M in 1958. “The highly successful course received a special AIA commendation and began his commitment to the quality of our environment, both built and natural, that continues today.”

George has also mentored many emerging architects.

“I learned from his example how to grow as an architect and team player,” said Marcel Quimby, principal of Quimby McCoy Preservation Architecture. “He offered mentorship in the less tangible aspects of the profession — the importance of achieving the highest standards within the architectural profession, of ‘giving back’ and leadership within our professional organization, and of contributing our talents to the community,” he said.