Abram G. Gillies, AIA (1940-2022) Abe Gillies was born in 1940 in Beaver, Utah. These beginnings in a small Southern Utah town gave him a lifelong appreciation for the wilderness and offered Abe character-forming opportunities. He helped on the family dairy farm, sanitizing milk cans at the creamery, ran the film projector at the only theater in town, and worked for the Forest Service, building fences and surveying the land. In 1963, Abe married and moved to Salt Lake City, where he enrolled at the University of Utah School of Architecture. He graduated in 1969, working for other architects for almost a decade. In 1978, Abe partnered with Bob Brotherton to form Brotherton Gillies Architects. By the late 1980s, the firm had evolved. Now called Gillies Stransky Brems Smith (GSBS), it won large prestigious projects, employed more people, and received A/E/C awards. Although accomplished in a number of practice areas, as the firm matured, Abe led the architectural design of correctional facilities – a focus that requires a very precise and technical skillset to succeed programmatically and aesthetically. Among the justice facilities on Abe’s resume are the Central Utah Correctional Facility, Utah County Security Center, Beaver County Public Safety Facility, and Weber County Correctional Facility. Abe believed what spurred GSBS’s success was having an intense collaboration of intelligent, creative minds: colleagues who inspired him and of whom he was proud. Certainly, Abe could see the potential in projects and buildings, but he also saw a person’s possibilities and talents and enjoyed helping them find it themselves. Appreciating that we learn from failures as much as success, he often said, “The worst decision is indecision.” Abe’s mantra was, “The drive to get there is as important as the final destination.” He had many passions – architectural design, food, wine, gardening; but likely his favorite was mentoring young minds. George (Jud) Daniels, FAIA (1927-2022) George (Jud) Daniels, FAIA, was born in Salt Lake City and grew up in Sugar House. He served in the Second World War and, upon returning home, graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in Architecture. Brandee, Jud’s daughter, said Jud wrote he was guided to architecture by his uncle Ed Young who worked for the Salt Lake City-based firm of Slack Warden Windburn. “I didn’t find architecture; it found me.” In 1952, Jud earned his Master of Architecture degree at the University of California, Berkeley. He became a proponent of the post-WWII modernist design school, and in 1955, he and Ralph Edwards (a fellow Berkeley alum) founded Edwards & Daniels Architects (now EDA). Jud wrote about meeting Ralph Edwards and founding the firm, “I had promptings at each decision. I knew this was my path.” Their enthusiasm for modern architecture in Salt Lake City and the Intermountain region began with residential architecture and small retail centers. Later, as the firm and its reputation grew, Jud led the design of regional, modernist landmarks, including Carbon County High School, Cottonwood High School, the First Congregational Church of Salt Lake City, the Fine Art and Architecture complex at the University of Utah and the iconic Salt Lake City Main Library (now The Leonardo). Jud inspired more than one generation of young architects by providing support and mentorship. Burke Cartwright, a retired EDA principal, said, “I considered Jud to be a mentor, partner and friend. I look back on our time working together and think of him being quietly supportive and kind. His body of work is enviable. It is thoughtful, restrained and enduring; qualities, in my mind, that represent some of the best in architecture.” In Memoriam 16 REFLEXION | 2022-23 | AIA Utah
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