Neil Smull

NEIL HARRISON SMULL 1922-2012 Neil Harrison Smull, age 90, of Boise, died March 18, 2012, in Boise, Idaho. Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 14, 2012 at the First United Methodist Church Cathedral of the Rockies of Boise. Arrangements are under the direction of the Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel. Neil was born in St. Francis, Kans., January 26, 1922, a son of Charles Ward and Hollis Harrison Smull. He attended schools in Bird City, Kans., and graduated from Bird City High School. He graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture in 1947. After he served as a Captain in the U. S. Army in the Pacific theater in World War II, he returned to Kansas State University to earn the degree Master of Science in Architecture in 1948. He was recalled to military service in the Korean War in 1951 and served as induction officer for the State of Minnesota. While at Kansas State University he was active in a number of campus activities and served as president of Sigma Nu fraternity and as president of the Interfraternity Council. It was at Kansas State where he met his future wife, Margaret Ann (Fritz) Massengill, when they were students. They were married in Columbus, Georgia, on July 8, 1944, while Neil was stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia, during World War II. Neil was an instructor of architecture at Kansas State University following his graduation. After his second tour of duty with the U. S. Army the family moved to East Lansing, Michigan, where he was a professor of architecture at Michigan State University. While there he was honored, by election of the students, as outstanding professor of the year in 1955. The family made many close friends during the time spent in Michigan. He later taught at the University of Idaho as a visiting Professor. Neil and his family moved to Boise, Idaho, in 1961, where he became a partner in the architectural firm of CSHQA, then known as Wayland, Cline and Smull. He retired in 1986. Always active in professional and community affairs, he served as President of the Idaho State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, as Chairman of the Idaho State Board of Architectural Examiners, for ten years as chairman of the Boise City Building Code Committee and for ten years with the National Committee on Architecture for Education, A.I.A. as well as a member of the International Council of Educational Facilities Planners. Neil was a member of the Boise Chamber of Commerce, the Boise State University Bronco Boosters, the Boise YMCA and in 1980 he was a member of the NASA energy efficiency task force at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. A licensed landscape architect, as well as a licensed architect, Neil was a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. In 1993, Neil was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and was awarded the national Fellowship Medal. He was the recipient of the Idaho Chapter, American Institute of Architects "Gold Medal" award of honor in 2001. Neil was elected Charter President of the Gem State Kiwanis Club of Boise and continued his Kiwanis service as Lt. Governor of Division Six, as Governor of the Utah-Idaho District of Kiwanis and as Chairman of the International Committee for Major Emphasis Programs. He was recognized as "Outstanding District Governor" in 1973. He was a Kiwanis Foundation Life Fellow, a Kiwanis Hixon Fellow and served for several years as Kiwanis District Advisor to Key Clubs of Utah and Idaho. In 2001 he received the Kiwanis International "Tablet of Honor". World travel was an enjoyable time for Neil and his wife in his retirement years. They formed many close relationships and special friends from Senegal, Africa, and Beijing, China, through Association with World Vision International and the People to People Ambassador Program. They also enjoyed their travel in the United States. For Neil, friendships mattered. It was evidenced in the affection he had for the many who crossed paths with him along the way. Neil was an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church. He was elected lay leader, in 1989, and an Honorary Life Member of the Administrative Board of Boise's First United Methodist Church. He was, for many years, active in leadership of the Men's Bible Study Fellowship International, as well as the Light of the Cross Christian Fellowship. In 1984 he was honored by the Idaho Statesman as a Distinguished Citizen. He was a member of Hillcrest Country Club and also a member of the American Legion. Survivors include his son Ned Smull of Stockton, Calif.; his son Scott Smull and daughter-in-law, Wendy, of Encinitas, Calif., and San Francisco, Calif., and their children Shannon Smull of Solana Beach, Calif., Ryan Smull of San Francisco, Calif., and Kerry Smull of Solana Beach, Calif., and a niece, Sarah Smull Hatfield of Denver, Colo. His wife Fritz, father and mother, a brother, Dr. Ned Smull, and a nephew, Steve Smull, preceded him in death. Memorials may be made to a favorite charity.