Thomas Brewster Kass (1936-2022) Tom Kass was born in Rochester, New York, in 1936, to a father who was a Labor Attorney for General Motors and a mother who taught him French but said that his accent was terrible and to “avoid speaking it.” Tom graduated from Cooper Union School of Architecture and Engineering in 1958. He was one of the 2% of applicants who earned a Certificate in Design. At Yale, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts and worked directly with Joseph Albers on his book, Interaction of Color. Tom earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Washington in Sculpture, then was hired by the University of Utah to teach foundation courses in the Department of Architecture. Tom taught at the U of U for 37 years, where he applied his firm belief in studying various disciplines to his architectural curriculum. His celebrated color course connected art and architecture. Ken Pollard, the architect, said in 15-Bytes Magazine, “He was a brilliant teacher who touched many and made people see the color of the day.” A Professor Emeritus in the University of Utah’s College of Architecture and Planning, Tom worked as an architectural advisor to several architecture firms in Salt Lake City. Montana State University lured him out of retirement to teach Basic Design in Architecture. Tom Kass received many awards, including the ACSA Distinguished Professor, The Distinguished Teaching Award, and the award he cherished, The Student Choice Award. Tom received two Fulbright Scholarships, which allowed him to study Korean Temple Painting and teach at Ewha Women’s University in South Korea. Additionally, Tom was an accomplished and exhibited artist who emphasized form, function, dimension, and color. His media included pencil, acrylic, oil and mixed media. “The problem is the problem,’ and ‘There is no solution. Seek it lovingly.” – Tom Kass. M. Ray Kingston, FAIA (1934-2022) Ray was born in Taylor, Utah, in 1934, the fifth of six children to Viva Witt Kingston and Clarence David Kingston. He grew up on a farm, graduated from Ogden High in 1952, and studied modern dance at the University of Utah. Ray was introduced to architecture by his roommate Roy Tachiki and changed his major to Architecture, studying at the U of U and Colorado College. He was honorably discharged from the U. S. Army, then in 1963, graduated from the University of Arizona and moved to Salt Lake City, where he launched his architectural career. In 1969, Ray was hired to design Snowbird developer Ted Johnson’s private residence after participating on an international urban planning team in Iran. This professional relationship led to Ray’s work on the master planning and design of the resort, a project that helped chart the course of his career. Ray co-founded ENTELEKI Architecture and then was a founding principal of Fowler Ferguson Kingston Ruben Architects (FFKR). In addition to his work at Snowbird, which includes the design and subsequent expansion of the Cliff Lodge, Ray was a central architect and planner for Abravanel Hall. His portfolio also includes buildings for many higher education campuses. Ray was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 1998 for his “exceptional work and significant contributions to architecture and society.” A lifelong devotee of the arts, Ray served as Chair of the Utah Arts Council, where he helped create the first Utah Arts Festival. President Reagan appointed him to serve on the board of the National Endowment for the Arts. For his volunteer work to help lead the renovation of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, he became the only non-Catholic Utahn to be knighted by the Roman Catholic Church. In Ray’s words, he was “an Ogden farm boy, true humanist, explorer of nature, the worlds of science, math, and aesthetics and, according to a few loyal friends, a relatively competent architect.” 17
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODQxMjUw