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Memoir
Theodore Larson
Regent's Proceedings 563
Regent's Proceedings 563
Theodore Larson, Professor of Architecture, has paused briefly in his energetic career to receive emeritus appointment, having reached the mandatory retirement age.
A native of Missouri, Professor Larson received his bachelor's degree from Harvard College in 1925 and his Master of Architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1929. He joined the faculty of The University of Michigan as Professor of Architecture in 1948.
Previous to coming to the University, he held various positions in Washington, D.C.: architect and project planner, U.S. Housing Authority, 1939-40; representative for the District of Columbia locality, Administrator's Office, National Housing Agency, 1942-44; technical consultant on housing and science legislation for the Subcommittee on War Mobilization of the Senate Military Affairs Committee, 1944-45; and assistant technical director with the National Housing Agency, 1946.
Professor Larson was an associate editor of the Architectural Record from 1930 to 1936; a research consultant of the F. W. Dodge Corporation from 1937 to 1939; technical editor of the Architectural Forum from 1941 to 1942; technical director of General Homes, Inc. in 1947; and an associate editor of Architectural Forum in 1948.
It would be literally impossible to pinpoint any single moment in Professor Larson's tenure at the University and declare it to be the high point of his career. His record of service indicates a man of boundless energy pursuing research and teaching responsibilities at a pace that never abated. His appetite for applying his many talents to the many challenges and problems within his field has been insatiable. And the beneficiaries of this largess can be found not only in the classrooms of the University, but in the halls of government and educational institutions throughout the world.
Yet even with his teaching and research responsibilities, he found time to participate fully in administrative chores with his faculty colleagues and to provide invaluable counsel to numerous Federal Government agencies and professional organizations.
The Regents take this occasion to express their sincere gratitude to Professor Larson for the fullest measure of dedication and service as they name him Professor Emeritus of Architecture.