DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about O'Neil Ford. Now settle in, because this one starts in a little place called Pink Hill and ends up reaching across the whole American Southwest. Born December 3, 1905, O'Neil Ford came into the world in Pink Hill, Grayson County, Texas — and if that sounds like a modest beginning for a man who would one day shape skylines and campuses across two states, well, that's kind of the point.
He went to school in Sherman, also in Grayson County, where an arts and crafts curriculum lit a fire under not just O'Neil but his entire family. That detail right there tells you something about the man before he ever touched a drafting table. Following the death of his father, the Fords moved to Denton, and Denton is where things start to get interesting.
O'Neil learned drafting, woodworking, and architectural drawing at North Texas State Teachers College. He earned an architectural certificate by mail — by mail, mind you — from the International Correspondence School of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Then over at the College of Industrial Arts he was reading architectural journals out of the school library, soaking it all in.
And it was on a construction site — the Denton Presbyterian Church — that O'Neil Ford met a Dallas architect named David Williams, who became his mentor. Sometimes the right conversation happens in the right place, and a career gets its direction. Ford entered into partnership with others beginning in 1932, and from there the work speaks for itself.
Little Chapel in the Woods, right there in Denton. The restoration of La Villita in San Antonio. Major portions of the campuses of Trinity University in San Antonio and Skidmore College up in Saratoga Springs, New York.
And then there is the Tower of the Americas, built for the Hemisfair in San Antonio — a structure that doesn't exactly whisper its presence on the skyline. What made Ford different wasn't just the buildings. He integrated his architectural designs with their settings by collaborating with craftsmen and artists.
He was active in historic preservation and environmental causes. He designed municipal buildings, churches, libraries, and homes. And when Denton's Emily Fowler Library needed additions, Ford was the one they called — in 1969 and again in 1981 — and he incorporated a courtyard and interior finishes handcrafted by his own family.
That's a man who never quite left Denton behind, and Denton never left him. In 1960 he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. President Lyndon Johnson appointed him to serve on the National Council for the Arts.
A North Texas boy, born in Pink Hill, schooled in Sherman, shaped in Denton — appointed by a president to help guide the arts of a nation. The marker puts it simply and well: his legacy lives on in the artistic blends of natural materials, clean lines, and open spaces in his designs. That's O'Neil Ford.
Born December 3, 1905. Gone July 20, 1982. And still, in a very real sense, all around you.
What the marker says
(December 3, 1905 - July 20, 1982) In the mid-20th century, a North Texas native became a leading architect of the American Southwest. O'Neil Ford was born in Pink Hill and went to school in Sherman (both Grayson Co.), where the arts and crafts curriculum inspired his entire family. Following the death of his father, the Fords moved to Denton. O'Neil learned drafting, woodworking, and architectural drawing at North Texas State Teachers College and earned an architectural certificate by mail from the International Correspondence School of Scranton (Pa.). At the College of Industrial Arts he read the school library's architectural journals, and on the construction site of Denton Presbyterian Church O'Neil met Dallas architect David Williams, who became his mentor. In partnership with others since 1932, Ford designed several significant projects, including Little Chapel in the Woods in Denton, restoration of La Villita in San Antonio, major portions of the campuses of Trinity University (San Antonio) and Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), and the Tower of the Americas for the Hemisfair in San Antonio. He integrated architectural designs with their settings by collaborating with craftsmen and artists, and was active in historic preservation and environmental causes. Ford designed municipal buildings, churches, libraries and homes during his career. He designed additions to Denton's Emily Fowler Library in 1969 and 1981, incorporating a courtyard and interior finishes handcrafted by his family. Ford was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1960 and appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to serve on the National Council for the Arts. His legacy lives on in the artistic blends of natural materials, clean lines, and open spaces in his designs. (2008)