Regional and City Planning graduate student Georgex Tafoya recently shared his favorite childhood memory of as part of the 2021 Latinx in Architecture San Francisco (LiASF) workshop, “Exploring our Latinidad,” led by James Rojas of Place It!
Read more in the March 2021 issue of ByDesign: Journal of Exceptional Achievement, and see an excerpt below.
Barrio Dreamin’
Georgex Tafoya
My favorite childhood memory is playing soccer in my front
yard under the supervision of my grandmother in our East
Los Angeles home. As the only child, I would use my
imagination to entertain myself at home. I would imagine
myself playing under bright lights in a huge stadium filled
with thousands of fans. I was the soccer superstar, and my
grandmother was the referee. This was a time for me to
play outside and to dream. For my grandmother, this was a
break from the work she had waiting for her in our garage
where she would sew clothes. My front yard in East L.A. is
the place where I most enjoyed my childhood, and it
continues to be a space where my younger cousins can
play and create memories
Robert L. Wesley, a pioneering architect and beloved mentor, has died at age 88. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Wesley joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1964 and became the firm's first Black partner in 1984. Throughout his career, he contributed to significant architectural projects while maintaining a strong commitment to civic engagement and professional mentorship.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. [PA1.1]Butzer returned to one of his most significant works on December 15, joining survivors and past and present board members for the groundbreaking of a $15.8 million expansion of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
