Six former students from the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University were recently honored as 2005 recipients of the college's Outstanding Alumni Award for having distinguished themselves as leaders and pioneers in their professions.

"These former students have influenced the built and virtual environment industries and have advanced their professions through innovation, extraordinary talent and hard work," said, J. Thomas Regan, dean of the college. "They have not only gained the respect of their peers, but serve as extraordinary role models for our students who are following in their footsteps."

The six recipients of the 2005 Outstanding College of Architecture Alumnus Award are Charles (Chuck) Greco, Dennis Jerke, Tom McKittrick, Jose Luis Palacios, Joel Reitzer and Bob Shemwell.

Greco is the president and CEO of Linbeck Construction Corporation in Houston. He is involved in the firm's strategic management activities that provide direction for the company's future growth and expansion. Several projects under Greco's direction earned the American General Council (AGC) Build America Award, including Space Center Houston, Texas Heart Institute's Denton A. Cooley Building, and the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art. He has served as a past president of the Department of Construction Science's Construction Industry Advisory Council and currently serves on the executive committee of the Dean's Advisory Council. He is a graduate from the Department of Construction Science.

Jerke is vice president and division manager for Urban Design and Planning at Carter & Burgess, Inc. His primary responsibilities lie in land planning and landscape architecture for large-scale land development and public projects. In his 25 years with the company, he expanded its urban design and practice team from one to seven U.S. locations encompassing a 50-person team. He has 60,000 acres of master planned communities in his portfolio and he has assembled teams of multiple companies and disciplines to manage over 300 significant projects in the southwest. He is a graduate from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning.

McKittrick is professor emeritus from the college. During his time at the university, McKittrick has served on the TAMU Faculty Senate and the University Core Curriculum Committee, was appointed interim head of the architecture department and received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the Master of Architecture students. He has also served as vice president of the American Architecture Foundation of which he was awarded the Llewellyn W. Pitts Award for his dedication to the industry and a lifetime of achievement. He is a graduate from the Department of Architecture.

Palacios is a principal for DMJM in Los Angeles. He oversees the design of projects for the firm. In less than 20 years is has earned 18 prestigious project awards and has completed work for many prominent clients. Palacios received national recognition for designing one of the first large-scale sustainable projects in the nation - the Washington State Department of Ecology Building, which became a national prototype for energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive design. The American Institute of Architects has honored Palacios with the Young Architects Citation for Excellence in Design. Palacios has authored two books and his buildings have been featured in 39 publications. He is a graduate of the Department of Architecture.

Reitzer is the project director for the City of Jacksonville, Florida. Reitzer has been the principal architect for over $1 billion in construction and design projects. A former Army officer, Reitzer co-authored master planning manuals for the U.S. Department of Defense. He served as director of facilities planning and construction for the Texas General Services Commission when George W. Bush was governor, guiding statewide real estate, building design and construction averaging $300 million per year. Reitzer is currently working on a redevelopment project for the western government sector of downtown Jacksonville with a budget of $250 million dollars. He is a graduate from the Department of Architecture.

Shemwell is a principal with Overland Partners Architects in San Antonio. He led the winning team on the international design competition for the TAMU Bonfire Memorial, which was chosen from over 200 entries. He has served as principal in charge on numerous award-winning projects. Currently, Shemwell is directing designs for two new California museums, as well as leading design and master planning efforts for a research and visitor's center at Bracken Cave, near San Antonio, home to the world's largest congregation of animals - 40 million Mexican free-tailed bats. He is a graduate from the Department of Architecture.

For extended bio information:
http://archone.tamu.edu/college/people/alumni/
outstanding_alumni/2005_1.html