that at some point in their lives, they also wanted to become architects. Not only had he been successful and influential in his architecture practice, but he had also been the Chairman of the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington for 15 years, been President of the Seattle Chapter of the AIA for two terms and elevated to Fellow in 1934. His name was Harlan Thomas. What is your favorite architectural style? Did any architect, in particular, inspire you? While in school, I was a total architectural history junkie. I used to hang out in the rare books section of the architectural library and read virtually every book, soaking it all in. Over the years, while fans of many architects, my two favorites were mostly reduced to Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Kahn. I loved the way Wright’s work came alive and was fluid and dynamic architectural sculpture. His work was very expressive and, for me, showy and very intoxicating. The natural materials he used connected the building to the earth and grounded the composition with an authenticity that most period houses did not. Kahn’s work came from a different place and showed how a completely different approach to design could yield great work. His work struck me as poetic and reductive, introspective and calm. His work felt like it had a spiritual basis, a centered approach where inspiration comes from within. Tell us about your university education at Washington State University. I loved attending WSU. The location in the Palouse seemed magical; I had never lived in such a remote and rural area. Many of my fellow students from cities and suburbs were quite uncomfortable with the location, but I felt I had found, if not a permanent home, a contrasting vision from the typical urban and suburban lifestyle. This, plus living three years after graduation in rural Skagit Valley in western Washington state, was a big part of my desire to live in a small community. My education at WSU was self-driven. I didn’t have many strong influential mentors. I worked very long hours until my health became affected, but then I backed off only enough to keep going. Guidance from my professors seemed minimal, but short comments here and there were all it took to open my eyes to possibility. I always loved the suggestions that caused me to consider a deeper and broader approach. I felt that college was the place to be a bit unrealistic and more open to possibilities than expedited solutions of the workplace. Who were your mentors? I tried to see the leaders in the field as my mentors. And in the summer before my last year in college and the year after graduation, I traveled quite a bit to see as much architecture in person as possible. The year after graduation, I drove 17,000 miles around the country following the trail of what I considered important historical and contemporary work. (Later on, I did a similar thing in Europe.) 12 AIA IDAHO ARCHITECTURE | 2023 | aiaidaho.com
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