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R. Hannaford Obituary
R. Ogden Hannaford, 91, died Aug. 24, 2008 at Kendal at Oberlin, Oberlin, OH. He was born March 30, 1917 in St. Paul, MN. He received a B.A. from Yale University in 1939 and a B.S. in Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where he also taught architecture for 26 years. He is survived his wife Mary, nee McDougal, of 55 years; son, Blake (Cynthia Ruggeiro) of Seattle, WA; daughter, Katharine Wylly Hannaford; two grandchildren, Sophia and Alec Hannaford; his sister, Priscilla Greeley; and numerous nephews and nieces. A Memorial Service was held Thursday, Aug. 28 at Kendal at Oberlin, Oberlin, OH. Another Memorial Service will be held in Chicago at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102.
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Memories and Condolences
for R. Hannaford
Stephen Smith
July 1, 2019
What an amazing professor Mr. Hannaford was for me. His rigor, filtered through gentleness, provided a guideline for my career in Architecture.
Danli Jin
October 11, 2008
Three things come to mind every time I think of Ogden: my enormous gratitude to him, my tremendous respect for him, and the laughter I had with his great sense of humor.
My dad, DS Jin, had the pleasure of meeting and working with Ogden at IIT when he came from HUST as a visiting professor in the mid 1980’s. When I needed an affidavit of support for my Visa, Ogden came to the rescue. This made it possible for me to come to the US to further my study in literature. At the time I arrived in this new country, Ogden and Mary generously offered our family to stay in their garden apartment. Those were the times I could never forget. It was not only my first few months in the US, but also the very first time my mom, dad, and I ever lived together. We had countless first time life experiences as a family in that garden apartment. That eventful period is always recalled with the fond memory of Ogden and Mary since they provided us with the convenience. As I continued my study, as well as my life here in Chicago, I feel more and more grateful to Ogden for his gracious sponsorship. To him, it was probably just a casual gesture, to me it was a huge helping hand that ultimately changed my life for much better. I could never thank him enough!
Helping people was part of Ogden and Mary’s daily lives. They kept it very low-key, and never expected anything in return. They did it so naturally as if taking a walk in the park, coming back and carrying on with the rest of their day. I am extremely impressed by their modest attitude towards the people they had helped. I wish they could proudly know that their efforts made immeasurable changes to many of our lives. They have my tremendous respect for their kindness, their generosity, and their modesty.
Thanks to my dear friend Ping, we visited Ogden and Mary in Oberlin last November. Shortly after Ping and I surprised them by showing up with flowers and chocolates, I had a chance to thank them wholeheartedly for their great help to me. With his usual joyful spirit, Ogden started telling us jokes. Oh, yes, that was Ogden’s specialty which I truly enjoyed. He made me laugh every single time we talked, regardless of the conversation topic. This brings back another unique memory: when I lived in their apartment, the whole house was broken into once. I lost everything with any price, while Ogden and Mary lost more valuable processions. Ogden came to chat with me the next day. I recall that scene so vividly: Ogden had one hand in his pocket, playing with the coins while he carefully explained to me what happened, when the policemen came, what they said and so forth. Then he calmly started telling jokes and we both burst into laughs. That made the whole dreadful situation suddenly easy to manage.
The thoughts of Ogden put a big smile on my face each time, for it was my honor knowing this humble and cheerful man. Ogden probably never knew how happy his witty words made me, but those pleasant memories will always stay in my heart.
Xu Ping Shi
October 10, 2008
I was blessed to meet Mr. and Mrs. Ogden Hannaford when Ogden was invited to teach at Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST, in Wuhan, China) in the fall of 1985. I was in charge of teaching freshman drafting and then became Ogden’s assistant when he came to teach my class. The following year, when HUST sent me to Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) as a visiting scholar, Mary and Ogden helped me financially so I could get into IIT’s graduate program, and I received my master’s degree in architecture.
I adopted Mary and Ogden as my American parents. Their tremendous influence on me is as if I had a living lesson through them that I call “architecture of humanity.” They never preached to me, I learned by observing what they did. Among so many of Ogden’s qualities I admire, I was especially amazed by his inner peace and consistent pace. Ogden once said to me “nothing is new under the sun;” it has taken me quite some years to know the origin of that phrase and to realize that Mary and Ogden are truly “the salt of the earth.” As Mies van der Rohe’s advocates and per Mies’ design principles, we design buildings that carry timeless value. In a bigger picture, I see Ogden as a great architect of humanity; he quietly followed eternal principles and sincerely carried timeless value in his life.
When I expressed my appreciation to Mary and Ogden, they said, “We are helping you now and hope you will help other people later.” When I returned the money that Mary and Ogden loaned me for tuition, they used that money to help JJ Tang, a student in my class that Ogden taught at HUST. JJ has become a well established architect in Chicago with many design awards. With Mary and Ogden, life moves on.
I wish I had enough English words to express my appreciation and to memorialize Ogden. Nevertheless, I believe Ogden is rewarded with eternal joy and peace wherever he goes.
Xu Ping Shi
October 8, 2008
I was blessed to meet Mr. and Mrs. Ogden Hannaford when Ogden was invited to teach at Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST, in Wuhan, China) in the fall of 1985. I was in charge of teaching freshman drafting and then became Ogden’s assistant when he came to teach my class. The following year, when HUST sent me to Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) as a visiting scholar, Mary and Ogden helped me financially so I could get into IIT’s graduate program, and I received my master’s degree in architecture.
I adopted Mary and Ogden as my American parents. Their tremendous influence on me is as if I had a living lesson through them that I call “architecture of humanity.” They never preached to me, I learned by observing what they did. Among so many of Ogden’s qualities I admire, I was especially amazed by his inner peace and consistent pace. Ogden once said to me “nothing is new under the sun;” it has taken me quite some years to know the origin of that phrase and to realize that Mary and Ogden are truly “the salt of the earth.” As Mies van der Rohe’s advocates and per Mies’ design principles, we design buildings that carry timeless value. In a bigger picture, I see Ogden as a great architect of humanity; he quietly followed eternal principles and sincerely carried timeless value in his life.
When I expressed my appreciation to Mary and Ogden, they said, “We are helping you now and hope you will help other people later.” When I returned the money that Mary and Ogden loaned me for tuition, they used that money to help JJ Tang, a student in my class that Ogden taught at HUST. JJ has become a well established architect in Chicago with many design awards. With Mary and Ogden, life moves on.
I wish I had enough English words to express my appreciation and to memorialize Ogden. Nevertheless, I believe Ogden is rewarded with eternal joy and peace wherever he goes.
Kate Trent
September 5, 2008
I can remember having dinner at the Hannaford home as a child, seeing both Ogden and Mary at our dinner table, and Knowing Blake from my earlist years to the present. Odgen was always a kind a gentle presence. His legacy of peace activism and integrity live on today in his wonderful grandchildren.
In sympathy,
Kate Trent, Seattle WA
Kate Tren
Roger and Virginia Laughlin
September 4, 2008
The world has lost a fine Friend and architect with the passing of Ogden Hannaford. We remember with fondness his presence in Evanston Friends Meeting. We were all Young Adults who met monthly for potluck suppers and picnics and bird walks in the forest preserves. We also recall that he was the architect for one of the first high rise buildings (if not THE first) on north Lake Shore Drive. To this day, we try to remember which building it was when we drive that way. It is hard to tell as there are now so many, but he definitely was an architectural pioneer! We missed him when he left to organize the Northside Friends Meeting. Our blessings - and condolences to his family.
Daniel Kearney
September 4, 2008
Dear Hannafords,
There are not enough words to properly express the loss of such a wonderful man. Sadness washes over me in learning of his passing, yet warm, happy thoughts are the only possibility when reminiscing about Ogden. What a beautiful life! One of my favorite memories of him is watching him ice-skating backwards in my flooded back yard in the '60's, doing the "grapevine" - little loops that looked like clusters of grapes on the ice. He was a really good iceskater! Of course, he was just plain really good in every way imaginable. Goodbye Ogden, you will be remembered and missed.
Fondly, Daniel Kearney.
Elizabeth Mertic
September 4, 2008
Ogden made a strong impression on me in my early years in Chicago, both at meetings for worship and with his AFSC activities. I give thanks to God for his long life.
Roger Conant
September 4, 2008
I remember Ogden very well from our time together in the Northside Friends Meeting, often gathering in his home. He was a clear-thinking, clear-speaking person, courageous and principled and an inspiration to us all.
Brayton Gray
September 4, 2008
Ogden was a loved and respected member of Northside Friends Meeting in Chicago. His pacifist activity during world war II, his integrity and his humor made him admired and loved. We all missed him when he went to Oberlin. It is sad that he has passed on.
Dylan Penningroth
September 3, 2008
I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family.
Paul Andrews
September 1, 2008
I remember the times sitting with our families in the yards. Please let me know the date for the Chicago memorial. I would like to attend.
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