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. Raymond W.H. Yeh is part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class.
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Raymond W.H. Yeh is an architect and educator whose career has helped shape architectural education at the University of Oklahoma and nationally. Through leadership roles at OU and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Yeh advanced architectural programs, developed new educational opportunities, and influenced generations of students and professionals.
Born in Shanghai, China, and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, Yeh is the eldest son of Herbert Hwan-Ching and Joyce Bo-Ding Yeh. He came to the United States in 1958 at age 16. After completing high school and beginning his college education in the Pacific Northwest, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oregon in 1965, followed by a Bachelor of Architecture in 1967. While studying architecture, he met his future wife, Hsiao-Yen Chen. He later earned a master's degree in architecture from the University of Minnesota in 1969.
After graduate school, Yeh worked as a design architect at several leading firms, including NBBJ in Seattle and Ellerbe Architects in Minneapolis. He later served as vice president for design at Sorey, Hill, Binnicker in Oklahoma City. These experiences in professional practice complemented his growing interest in architectural education and academic leadership.
Yeh began teaching at the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture in 1970 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 1978. That same year, he was invited to become the founding head of the newly formalized Department of Architecture at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. In 1983, he returned to OU to lead its young College of Environmental Design, which had previously been part of the College of Engineering.
During his tenure as dean at OU, Yeh reorganized the College of Architecture into four professional program divisions: Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Interior Design and Construction Science. He established the college's Board of Visitors, which continues to advise and support its deans, and formalized the Bruce Goff Professorship of Creative Architecture, launching the Goff Lecture Series. During this period, OU's architecture program was consistently ranked among the nation's leading programs by the Gourman Report.
In 1992, attracted by opportunities to develop academic programs, Yeh became dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Under his leadership, the school undertook significant program development and introduced what the submitted biography describes as the nation's first accredited professional doctorate in architecture. The program featured a distinctive curriculum with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
Throughout his career, Yeh contributed to the architectural profession through national and regional service. His roles included serving as a master juror and writer and coordinator for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards' design examination, participating in National Architectural Accrediting Board review teams, chairing the American Institute of Architects' Architectural Education Committee, serving as an AIA chapter president, and leading the AIA California Council for Education.
Yeh's contributions to architectural education have earned him recognition throughout his career. His honors include a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 1978 and the Asian Society of Oklahoma Award of Excellence in 1992. In 1988, he was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and later served on the national committee responsible for selecting new fellows. DesignIntelligence named him among the nation's most admired educators in 2009. Yeh is professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, 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. Joseph Edgar Smay is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates three architecture students who were recognized in the 2026 AIA Dallas Student Design Awards.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, 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. Raymond W.H. Yeh is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
