10 REFLEXION | 2021-22 | AIA Utah Michael J. Stransky, FAIA Interviews with Local Legends When did you decide to become an architect? While I was in high school in Wyoming. I thought about petroleum engineering; Wyoming is full of oil and uranium. I also thought about a military career. I applied to the Merchant Marine Academy and took the physicals, and found out I was color blind. No academy would take you if you were color blind. So, my family encouraged me to consider architecture because I liked to draw and make things. I took drafting classes in high school and pretty much made the decision. I didn’t know where to go; I didn’t know a lot about architecture other than drawing and building involved with it. Mike Stransky is a Wyoming native with a big, open personality. Mike originally came to Utah to go to architecture school. After a nine-year stint with the Army Reserve and Don Panushka’s firm, Mike joined Abe Gillies in a firm that would evolve to be GSBS, now one of the standard-bearers in the Utah architectural industry. Mike talked to Fran Pruyn and Travis Shephard, AIA, about his career in the industry. So, where did you go from there? I went to a community college in Casper to get my university requirements. I had a teacher who lined me up with Mr. Wehrle, an architect. I found out he was at the University of Utah doing a doctorate in architectural psychology. I thought, well, Utah is good for him, Utah is good for me, so I applied, was accepted, and came to the University of Utah in 1964. Clearly, you graduated then … (Smiles) Not without a struggle. I got drafted in ‘67. So, to accommodate both careers, I opted to go into ROTC at the University, which gave me two years to finish. I graduated in ‘70, got my commission, and had to go into the Army. Where were you stationed? I was in the Army Corps of Engineers, and the training is in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. Carolyn and I had been married for two years. She put her career on hold because I didn’t have an option. My option was to go to Ft. Belvoir and then to Vietnam, but they were cutting back, so I wasn’t shipped out to Vietnam. I spent nine years in the Army Reserves in Utah. At the same time, I worked for Don Panushka before deciding to jump in with Abe Gillies. Tell us about that. I knew Abe in school; he was one year ahead of me. He had a partner – Bob Brotherton. They had worked together at Enteleke and had decided to do it on their own. They incorporated in January of 1978. They were looking for help, and I was looking to move on. My firm wasn’t considering longevity and transition. I said, “I am interested but not just in a job.” Within a year, I had bought into the firm. Within two years, Bob wanted to stay in our office in Denver, so we split then. That is when it became Gillies Stransky. Outside of marrying Carolyn, it was the best action I ever took – to accept his invitation to join him in business. He is the best. He plowed the ground; I joined the team. Pretty soon, I found out that we both had a heckuva load of responsibilities. How did you divide the responsibilities? We did everything. Abe had been involved in putting the corporation together, so he kept an eye on the books and the billings. I was largely involved with project management. There BY FRAN PRUYN AND TRAVIS SHEPHERD
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