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Thomas L. McKittrick, FAIA, Honored with the 2008 American Institute of Architects’ Edward C. Kemper Award for Service to the Profession
Award recognizes significant contributions to the profession
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For Immediate Release |
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Washington, D.C., December 18,
2007 — The AIA Board of Directors elected Thomas L. McKittrick, FAIA,
practitioner, educator and leader in emerging professional
concerns, as the 2008 recipient of the Edward C. Kemper Award.
Named in honor of the AIA’s first executive director, the
award recognizes individuals who contribute significantly to the
profession of architecture through service to the Institute.
In nominating McKittrick for the award, AIA Texas Regional Director
Ken L. Ross Jr., FAIA, wrote, “Tom was on the leading edge of
many emerging industry trends as well as being among the AIA’s
leadership dealing with many of the Institute’s emerging
issues such as continuing education, globalization, ethics, linking
education and practice, improving architectural education and
reinforcing the profession’s design leadership.”
In his more than 40 years dedicated to the AIA, McKittrick has
served as president of the Houston Chapter of the AIA (1981),
president of the Texas Society of Architects (TSA) (1984), national
Board member (1989-1991) and vice president of the AIA national
component (1991).
McKittrick is professor emeritus at Texas A&M University. In
1957, he earned his BS in architecture from Rice University. After
serving in the Navy and an apprenticeship, he co-founded McKittrick
Drennan & Richardson, Architects in 1963, later becoming
McKittrick Richardson Wallace Architects . The firm became
well-known for its design of academic and institutional buildings.
His contributions to the architectural profession were recognized
with his investiture in the American Institute of Architects'
College of Fellows in 1979.
As TSA president in 1984, McKittrick initiated the program,
“Let’s Grow … Better!” that linked communities
in each of the 17 AIA Chapters in Texas with a school of
architecture to develop ideas about growth issues. The program
morphed into a student design charrette concerning an urban issue
in TSA’s annual-meeting host city.
“He advocated for and incorporated sustainability and active
community planning involvement long before they became de rigueur
for the profession, not only encouraging his students to pursue
these goals passionately, but setting a personal example first
and
then ensuring that changes to architectural curricula were included
as a result of the 2003 NAAB Validation Conference,” wrote TSA
Executive Vice President David Lancaster, Hon. AIA, in support of
McKittrick’s nomination.
In 1990, Texas A&M University’s Architecture Department
asked McKittrick to become its first Mid-Career Fellow. Leaving
practice after 28 years, he completed a master’s degree in
1991 at age 57 while teaching, received a tenured faculty
appointment and became coordinator of the master of architecture
degree program at A&M. This semester he is co-teaching a
fifth-year comprehensive design as a visiting professor at the
University of Houston to bring school design and NAAB experience
into the studio there.
In 1995, McKittrick co-authored a broader definition of the
practice of architecture with former AIA President Jack McGinty,
FAIA, which was adopted by the Texas Legislature.
McKittick’s career has often focused around the concerns of
the emerging professional and continuing education. Highlights
include:
• Served on the International Union of Architects (UIA)
Working Group on Educational and Cultural Spaces (WGECS), which
heightened his awareness that other nations look to the AIA for
leadership and professional knowledge.
• Worked on the Continuing Education Task Force providing
recommendations and definitions that are still in place today,
including the definitions for health, safety, and welfare, which he
wrote.
• Participated in the 1982 “Direction 80s Goals
Conference,” which proposed that one day members could receive
AIA continuing education courses on computer disks or
videotapes.
• Served on National Association of Accrediting Boards (NAAB)
in 2002, leading the development of an AIA member survey regarding
changes needed to architecture education, and ultimately proposed
changes to the Student Performance Criteria that were adopted by
NAAB.
• Represented the AIA for NAAB on teams visiting schools at
every level and in a variety of circumstances. He also served as
the team chair for a visit to Istanbul Technical University,
NAAB’s first international visit.
McKittrick has served as alderman and mayor of his village, as a
deacon and elder in his church, as president of his Rotary Club and
president of the association of Rice University Alumni. He recently
led the Rice Class of ’56 in raising $1.58 million for student
scholarships. In 1992, he received the Llewellyn W. Pitts Award,
the highest honor of the Texas Society of Architects.
About The American Institute of
Architects
For 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects have
worked with each other and their communities to create more
valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and
cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge,
and tools to create better design, and through such resources and
access, they help clients and communities make their visions real.
www.aia.org
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