In Memory of Boyd McAllister, AIA October 16, 1955 – November 2022

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Our dear friend and colleague Boyd Keith McAllister, AIA, \nstarted his next adventure this November, at the age of 67.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Boyd was a truly remarkable person. Born and raised in Magna, \nUtah, Boyd always told us that he knew he wanted to be an \narchitect from the time he was a youngster. As he told the story, \n\u201cAt age 14, my father took me out on a construction site,\u201d he said. \n\u201cHe was building a doctor\u2019s office and unrolled some drawings to \nshow me.\u201d Naturally curious, Boyd asked him what the blueprints \nwere. \u201cHe said, \u2018Well son, these drawings tell me how to build the \nbuilding.\u2019\u201d Boyd knew then that he didn\u2019t want to be a carpenter \nlike his dad. \u201cI wanted to be the one who told them what to build.\u201d\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"After taking drafting classes in high school, Boyd enrolled at \nUtah Technical College to study architecture and engineering. \nFollowing graduation in 1976, he gave up a lucrative job at a local \ngrocery store to begin his architectural career as a draftsman for \nsomewhat less money, but much more satisfaction. After he had \ngained enough experience, he successfully passed the Architec\u0002tural Licensing Exam, earning the right to practice architecture \nin Utah in 1985.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Three years later Boyd was hired to work at a firm then called \nNiels Valentiner and Associates, partly because he had school \ndesign experience. In 1995 Boyd was made a Principal at the \nfirm, now known as VCBO Architecture. He was in charge of \nthe construction of numerous Smith\u2019s grocery stores across the \nWestern United States, and was always proud of being what was \nthen called the \u201cJob Captain\u201d on our Firm\u2019s project One Utah \nCenter, nicknamed \u201cthe Coppertop\u201d (located at 201 South \u0026 \nMain). "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\nSchools were always a strong passion of Boyd\u2019s however, and \nhe devoted the bulk of his career to school design. He had an \nunquenchable desire to create the best possible places to \nenable young people to learn. Boyd was responsible for millions \nof square feet of schools for multiple school districts, in Utah, \nArizona, Nevada and Idaho. In the 1990\u2019s, he and Principal Steve \nCrane, FAIA, began to design schools based on innovative new \nideas, places that encouraged collaboration amongst both the \nstudents and the teachers. Boyd and Steve both made a con\u0002scious effort to educate themselves and those in the firm that \nthey mentored in the most progressive ideas about school de\u0002sign. This included participating in professional groups including \nthe American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture \nfor Education (AIA CAE), and CEFPI, the Council of Educational \nFacilities Planners International, (now known as A4LE). Boyd \nserved as the President of the South West Region of A4LE in \n2013. He traveled across the US and Canada as a member of \nthese organizations, always searching for new ideas that could \nimprove the learning environment.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The first of the truly collaborative school projects Boyd and his \nteam designed was a pair of prototype elementaries for Davis \nSchool District. Creekside and Lakeside Elementary schools \nwere finalists for one of the most prestigious awards a school \nproject can win \u2013 the James D. MacConnell Award, the only \nschool design award given in which the jury actually came to \nthe projects for a day, talking with the students and teachers to \ngain a true understanding of the learning environment. The only \nschool in Utah to ever win this award is West Point Junior High, \nin 2004, for which Boyd was the Principal-In-Charge. He was im\u0002mensely proud of this achievement, and counted the day it was \nawarded as one of the best days of his life. Boyd\u2019s final project \nprior to retirement, Farmington High School, was also a finalist \nfor the MacConnell. Architects and educators from across the \ncountry have traveled to Utah to tour these projects, learning \nfrom the work that Boyd did. He was also instrumental in the \nprogramming and design of the only LEED gold certified public \nschool in Utah, Odyssey Elementary in Kaysville, Utah. Odyssey \nis also one of the only two US Dept. of Energy certified Net Zero \nEnergy buildings in the state of Utah.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Boyd was a generous mentor and a loyal and devoted friend. \nThere are so many of us at VCBO who learned from him and \nlaughed with him over the years. He had a fiery temper, but after \nhe made his point, it was over and he was ready to go out to \nlunch with you. He was fun to be with; golfing, riding bicycles, and \nas a travel buddy. He loved good food and wasn\u2019t afraid to try \nany food once, the stranger the better. He had a wonderful sense \nof humor. He had three amazing children that he loved \u2013 Kellie, \nKarlie and Kirk. Boyd took great pride in providing for his family, \nand was extremely proud of them.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"And as Partner Steve Crane, FAIA, says \u201cBoyd was the consum\u0002mate owner\u2019s Architect. Every decision and every action he took, \nno matter the scale or complexity, was on the owner\u2019s behalf. \nIn the field, if something wasn\u2019t right, he did whatever it took to \nmake it right. Clients always appreciated his devotion to them \nand their project. Boyd was a great Pard, an excellent Architect, \nand even better Friend - he will be missed"]]]]}