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. Harold Conner is part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class.
Make a donation in honor of Harold Conner
The Harold Conner Fieldwork Scholarship was established to recognize students who excel in their program and particularly in internship or fieldwork/internship courses.
Harold Conner made his way from his hometown of Webb City, Missouri to Joplin Junior College, to the University of Kansas, earning associates, bachelors, and master’s degrees along the way. In 1991 he added an additional master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma.
After two years working in structural engineering for American Aviation in California, Harold took a position with the Portland Cement Association in Chicago, where he spent 22 years in research, management, and information technology. In addition to being an early advocate for technology in construction, Harold became an expert on structural concrete—specifically the structural impacts of disasters. His expertise took him around the world, including to Ground Zero after the events of September 11, 2001.
In 1980 Harold came to the University of Oklahoma to teach Construction Science in the College of Architecture. In 1983 Construction Science formally became a division within the college, with Harold as the director. He continued in that role until his retirement in 1996. Over that time Harold led the program to its initial accreditation, laying the foundation that Construction Science (CNS) has built upon since. Harold is a strong advocate for industry involvement in construction education and for the importance of student internships. In 1999 he established an endowed scholarship for the highest-performing intern from CNS.
Despite his impressive accomplishments, Harold is humble and unassuming. He is most proud of his family. He displays his father’s brick trowel and an album filled with pictures of the stone homes his father built. He is a father of three boys–Bruce, Bart, and Michael–all of whom excelled in sports, including Bruce Conner, who is the oldest man to qualify for the Olympic trials in speed skating, and Bart Conner, a winner of two Olympic gold medals in gymnastics.
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
