|
A gift of $1.9 million from the estates of Rebecca and John Voyles and Evelyn G. Webb will provide an endowed chair for the School of Architecture and fund two scholarships and program enhancements, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. Paul Donnelly, professor of architecture, will be installed as the first Rebecca and John Voyles Professor in a ceremony Tuesday, Dec. 7.
"We are most grateful for these significant and generous gifts," Wrighton said. "They will help elevate the School of Architecture to new heights and will establish an endowed chair for Paul Donnelly, who richly deserves the honor."
Rebecca Webb Voyles and her sister, Evelyn Webb, graduated from the School of Architecture in 1927 and 1924, respectively. When Webb died in 1986, Rebecca Voyles created a scholarship in her memory. John Voyles, who died in 1981, was a 1924 graduate of the School of Dental Medicine. Rebecca Voyles died in 1998, leaving her estate to the University.
Very few women were architectural students in the 1920s, according to Dean Cynthia Weese, FAIA. "The Webb sisters were pioneering women of their day," she noted. "Becky Voyles and Evy Webb were devoted to their alma mater and have been providing important scholarship support for a number of years."
Paul Donnelly is an internationally recognized architect known for buildings that fuse cutting-edge technology with imaginative designs. He is both an architect and a registered professional engineer. Throughout his academic career, Donnelly has maintained his professional practices, as a principal in Paul J. Donnelly Architects and Engineers and as a principal and co-founder of The Associated Architects, both located in Boston.
"As an architect and an engineer, Paul brings to his research and teaching a special approach, an added dimension of structural expertise that informs his compelling designs, " Weese explained. "We're very fortunate to have him here. Paul is brilliantly creative in two fields. He also is an extraordinary teacher."
Donnelly joined the University as a visiting professor of architecture in 1996 and was named a professor in 1997. His research interests include membrane technology, air structures, robotics, technology transfer, technology integration and enclosures and environments. He previously taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.
His administrative contributions to the School of Architecture include heading the school's Technology Committee, serving as interim director of computing and interim director of graduate admissions and chairing the Curriculum Committee. Beginning in January, Donnelly will direct the Graduate Program.
Donnelly received a bachelor's degree in structural engineering from Northeastern University, Boston, in 1968 and a master's degree in engineering mechanics from Columbia University, New York, in 1970. He also conducted graduate studies and research work at McGill University in Montreal. Donnelly earned a bachelor of architecture degree from Boston Architectural Center.
For his innovative integration of technology and architecture, Donnelly has received recognition in national and international design competitions. Most recently, he earned First Place Design Citation in the "Building Integrated Photovoltaics Competition" (with Andrew Scott of MIT) and a Design Citation Award for the "Unbuilt Boston Competition" (also with Scott).
His professional work has appeared in a number of publications, including Progressive Architecture, Architectural Record, Architecture, AIArchitect, Competitions, Der Architekt BDA, Archtektur + Wettbewerbe, the Japanese architecture journal Shinkenchiku, and Building Research and Information.
