Paul J. Becker

Becker, Paul J. Architect, born August 6, 1953 in Champaign, Illinois, passed away on Monday, February 20, 2006 at St John's Medical Center in Santa Monica from complications associated with ALS. Paul grew up in Champaign, Illinois where he attended Centennial High School. An avid swimmer, Paul was a member of the Centennial High School swim team. After graduating in 1971, Paul attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he received his Associate Degree in Architectural Technology in 1973. He later went on to receive his Bachelor of Architecture in 1979 from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. He passed the Missouri architectural exam and earned his architectural license in 1981. At the time of his death, Paul was a Senior Associate with NBBJ, an international design firm whose Los Angeles office specializes in the design of high profile sports and entertainment projects. During the ten years he worked with NBBJ, Paul was an integral part of many of the firm's award-winning projects, including Lincoln Financial Field - a new stadium designed for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles - which opened in 2003; and the Al McGuire Center at Marquette University in Milwaukee, which opened in 2004. Perhaps most notably, Paul was the Project Manager for Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Home to the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals, Paul Brown Stadium opened in 2000 and was considered the most successful stadium design in the league. The project was published internationally and was the recipient of many awards, including three separate awards from the American Institute of Architects and the coveted Business Week/Architectural Record Award. During the last two years of his employment with NBBJ, Paul was also the Operations Leader for the Los Angeles office. Prior to joining NBBJ, Paul was a Vice President with Ellerbe Becket, a Kansas City-based architectural practice, from 1989 to 1996. During this time, Paul was Project Manager for several of the firm's most notable projects, including the MCI Center in Washington, DC; the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England; and the El Centro Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. Prior to his employment with Ellerbe Becket, Paul was Vice President of Orlowski Becker in Kansas City from 1986 to 1989, and was employed by HNTB Architects in Kansas City from 1981 to 1986. Paul had a keen eye for detail and an appreciation for quality design. He also had a great fondness for animals. During the last eight months of his life living with ALS, Paul maintained his independence and battled his disease with great courage and dignity. Paul was preceded in death by his mother, Anita V. Becker. He is survived by his father, James Becker; his sisters, Ann McCloskey and Laura Little; his nieces, Jennifer and Meghan McCloskey; his friend and former wife, Melanie Becker; and his closest friend, Teena Videriksen; as well as many friends and colleagues in Kansas City and Los Angeles. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Paul's name to the ALS Association- 27001 Agoura Road, Suite 150, Calabasas Hills, CA 91301, (800) 782-4747, jkomsky@alsa-national.org, www.alsa.org; or to the Humane Society of the United States - 2100 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, (202) 452-1100, www.hsus.org.
A memorial service will be planned at a later date.