For the third year, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas honored several individuals who have made contributions to the school, university and culture of design with Awards for Distinction. These awards were presented, along with annual alumni design awards, during the school's Alumni Dinner and Recognition Ceremony, held Oct. 4 at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House on the university campus. Eight school alumni were also recognized as Golden Graduates, having graduated from the university at least 50 years ago.
"We're fortunate to be able to recognize those who have contributed to the school and the larger design culture of Arkansas through their service, wisdom and example," said Dean Peter MacKeith. "The diverse recipients of our Awards for Distinction this year are drawn from near and far and characterize our school's commitment to public service in the state and, indeed, in the world through the power of design."
Distinguished Alumni Awards went to Mrinalini Rajagopalan (B.Arch. '96), Victor Mirontschuk (B.Arch. '74), Tommy Jameson (B.Arch. '77) and Charles McKinney (B.Arch. '81). This distinction is awarded annually in recognition of an alumnus or alumna for significant contributions to the architecture and design culture locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
Rajagopalan holds a Master of Architecture and a doctorate, both from the University of California, Berkeley. She now serves as an associate professor in the History of Art and Architecture department and is the director of graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh. She received a 2018 Alice Davis Hitchcock Book Award from the Society of Architectural Historians for Building Histories: The Archival and Affective Lives of Five Monuments in Modern Delhi (University of Chicago Press, 2016). Mirontschuk founded EDI International in 1976, and it now has offices in New York, Texas and California. He currently serves as president, COO and chairman of the board for EDI International. Jameson is president and principal architect of Jameson Architects P.A., which was founded in 1996 in Little Rock. He was awarded the 2017 Parker Westbrook Award for Lifetime Achievement by Preserve Arkansas. McKinney spent 34 years as principal urban designer for New York City Parks and Recreation and now serves as a senior consultant to Biederman Redevelopment Ventures in New York and started the firm Practical Visionary. McKinney currently serves on the school's Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee.
Dr.. Rajagopalan has been an SAH member since 2005.
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