Charles Ralph Colbert

I just heard from a colleague of Chuck's passing, my sincerest sympathy to the Colbert Family. I was fortunate to have been in his fifth year studio in '81 and worked on several competitions once out of school. He has taught me a great deal about architecture and design, but more importantly about life lessons. He will be dearly missed.

I am deeply saddened by Mr. Colbert’s passing. He was my 5th year teacher in 1983 and a significant influence on my development as an architect and a man. He was obviously affected by his service in the military as he fondly assigned each person in our class with a “call sign” ala Top Gun. Mine was “Scooter” because of my liking for motorcycles. I will miss him greatly and only regret that I was not able to track him down after Katrina to share my appreciation of him personally.

Charles Colbert will be missed. I was lucky enough to have him for 2 semesters and I can defiantly say that those were my two best semesters in studio, both academically and internally. He had a way of challenging me to create something that no one else seemed to have. In a way he dared you to do it. Not only did he help students develop into better students of architecture but he also helped them develop as people. It was subtle but he knew what he was doing. I kept in touch with him for a few years after graduation (May 2000) but lost contact with him along the way. His passion for teaching, his love of architecture, and the brief moments where he would let his guard down to have lunch or a cup of coffee with me will be greatly missed.

Chuck was a good man who cared deeply.

Sincere condolences to all in the Colbert family. I have fond memories of Chuck Colbert.

Jerry

Very sorry to hear of Chuck Colbert's passing. He was a teacher, friend and inspiration for many years, beginning with the Fifth Year Design Studio he taught at LSU in 1979.

Having had the opportunity since then to work with some of the finest scholars and teachers in the world during my time at Harvard and MIT, it has been so very apparent that Chuck was among the best of the best. Not always easy to take, but always an effective and powerful teacher.