The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame (GCA HOF) recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact over time to Gibbs College (GCA), its students, staff, faculty, alumni, and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Bob and Sherry Faust are part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
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The Architecture Program Development Fund #32009 supports the Division of Architecture.
Robert “Bob” L. Faust (1932–2020) was born in New Orleans. He initially studied architecture at Tulane University, where he first encountered the work of Bruce Goff, then Chairman of the Architecture School at the University of Oklahoma (OU). After visiting OU and meeting Goff, Bob transferred almost immediately. Following his graduation in 1956, he served for two years in the U.S. Navy before returning to the Gulf Coast to work as Supervisor and Construction Manager for Goff on the Gutman Residence in Gulfport, Mississippi, and the Gryder Residence in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
In 1964, Bob accepted a teaching position at Iowa State University in Ames, which ignited his lifelong passion for teaching. At Iowa State, he not only taught but also undertook design-build projects of his own. Two of these projects remain standing today: the Zaring Residence and Silverspoon of Iowa. It was during this period that he met and married Sherry, who became both his wife and a partner in his endeavors.
In 1968, Bob and Sherry moved to Alabama where Bob took a position teaching at Auburn University. Bob led the dual life of teaching architectural design and maintaining a small but exciting practice of intuitive organic architecture. When Bob wasn’t teaching one of his classes or involved in the construction of one of his buildings, he could be found at his desk designing for clients or for himself. His office was stacked from floor to ceiling with study models and drawings. He designed places of worship, conference facilities, commercial and residential buildings, all of which garnered attention from local citizens as well as students of architectural design. But one project was extra special: a project he and Sherry started when they arrived in Auburn and continued designing and building for the next three decades, unique townhouses called Corrugated Alabama.
Corrugated Alabama stands as a touchstone for many architects who were, in effect, Bob’s unofficial apprentices. They studied under him in Auburn’s studios and did general labor on-site, learning from and emulating the skill and craftsmanship of their professor. With Sherry at his side as his “majordomo,” Bob showed how simple materials and unskilled labor could be transformed into meaningful architecture. These young designers assisted in this transformation and benefited from his hands-on design-build approach.
Bob and Sherry Faust.
Bob never stopped teaching. Whether twenty feet in the air on scaffolding or bent over a student’s desk, he was always sharing his knowledge and helping young minds refine their work. He loved his students and was proud of their successes; he loved architecture and the opportunity to share it; and he loved the process of designing and building, with all its challenges.
His work was published internationally in journals such as Italy’s L’Architecture and Japan’s Architecture and Urbanism. He was a lifelong member of Friends of Kebyar. In 2020, Bob’s student work was included in the University of Oklahoma exhibit Renegades, and in 2024 it was featured in Outré West.
Sherry Faust was studying microbiology at Iowa State University when she first met Bob. After their marriage, she quickly became his partner in both business endeavors and creative pursuits. Whether traveling to Friends of Kebyar meetings or swinging a hammer and managing the books and tenants at Corrugated Alabama, Sherry was always by Bob’s side.
After Bob’s passing in 2020, Sherry became the American School’s most impactful donor. She made a multi-million-dollar planned gift to the University Libraries and the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture to ensure the work of the American School continues in perpetuity. As OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said, “Sherry Faust’s remarkable commitment to celebrating and building on the legacy of the American School will allow OU to remain the preeminent authority on this important movement.”
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, Assistant Professor of Regional and City Planning, has been selected to serve as Co-Chair of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG) for the 2025–2027 term.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Tahsin Tabassum, a recent graduate of the college’s Master of Regional and City Planning program and current doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, for receiving the prestigious 2024–2025 American Planning Association (APA) Outstanding Student Award.
