Dale L. Gibbs

1923 - 2022

Dale L. Gibbs

November 4, 2022

Professor of Architecture at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln from 1954 to 1996, Dale Gibbs died on November 4, 2022, after a long and eventful life. Born on October 24, 1923, in Neligh, NE to Cyrus Emory Gibbs and Irene (Little) Gibbs, he grew up in Lincoln and graduated from College View High School in 1941. He served in the 5th Air Force in New Guinea and Japan via Biak Island; Leyte Gulf; Manila, Philippines; Okinawa and Iwo Jima. After the war, he returned to UN-L and earned his B.A in 1948 and B. Arch in 1950. Upon graduation, he received the A.I.A. medal and won a fellowship to Yale University, where he earned an M.A. in 1952.

He married Katherine (Kitty) Lilly on April 24, 1965. They had two daughters, Caitlin and Alison. He considered himself a lucky man to have known the love of family and friends, the recognition of his profession and the respect of students, colleagues and clients during his lifetime. At Yale, Dale studied under Philip Johnson, Louis Kahn, Vincent Scully and the modernist painter Josef Albers. At the University of California at Berkeley, he took post-graduate courses with the art historian Herschel Chipp and the Bay-Area painter Frank Lobdell. He later received a Ph.D. in Architecture/History and Theory from the University of Pennsylvania.

He returned to Lincoln and founded an architectural practice with a classmate, Roy Neumann, which continued for about four decades. He designed more than 100 buildings in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and California. At UN-L, he served as the chairman of the College of Architecture's graduate committee for many years. Dale taught courses in design, history and theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is perhaps best remembered for engaging his students in design situations with clients and communities, including projects for development of the Omaha Riverfront (1969-72), and the first conceptual plan for Lincoln's Haymarket (1965).) He was director of the London Program in 1973, 1979, 1987 and 1992. In 1979, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for his collaborative work with Sir Hugh Casson at the Royal College of Art.

Dale was the recipient of numerous teaching awards from the University Foundation, the UN-L Parents' Association, and the Architecture Alumni Association. After retiring, he received the Doc Elliot Award for exhibiting "a record of exemplary service, whose caring has made a difference in the lives of students." He was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1987 and received the Cunningham gold medal from the Nebraska Society of Architects in 2001. He was a trustee emeritus of the Sheldon Art Association.

He is survived by his daughter, Caitlin, son-in-law, Michael Shear, of Washington, D.C., and two grandchildren, Sam and Sophie Shear. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Katherine "Kitty" (Lilly) Gibbs, his daughter, Alison, his sister Barbara Vose Koop and brothers-in-law Bob Vose and Del Koop. He is survived also by his nieces and nephews and their spouses: Stephen Vose (JoAnne) of Middlebury, VT; Kathleen Koop Seitel (Alan) of Corpus Christi, TX; Marcella Dresdale (Richard) of Watch Hill, RI; and John R. Lilly (Sharon) of Greenwich, CT.

Private family burial. A remembrance event will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may. be sent to the Professor Dale Gibbs Honors Scholarship c/o University of Nebraska Foundation, 1010 Lincoln Mall, Suite 300, Lincoln, NE 68508.