A native of Ohio, Nelson Arthur Harris, Sr. was a witness to the racism of the deep north of the United States. His family was threatened by a local group of the Klu Klux Klan when he was a young boy, but the Firestone Family of Akron, for whom his father occasionally worked, intervened to secure their safety. More of his story

Kenneth Gene Groggs, a founder of the National Organization of Minority Architects was the first black person to serve as Illinois State Architect. A native of Kansas, Mr. Groggs was president of Groggs & Associates, which he founded in 1983. Link to page.

Known as Sacramento’s first African American architect, James C. Dodd worked on a number of Sacramento buildings. He was in business in Sacramento for more than 40 years. Architectural drawings and specifications by Dodd and Associates of Sacramento area buildings including Del Paso Heights Schools, McClellan Air Force Base remodels, Saint Hope Academy, Netta Sparks Women’s Civic Improvement Club, and private residences such as the Edna Wright house, Hill House and James Jones’ house. Link to page.

John Saunders Chase was born on January 23, 1925, in Annapolis, Maryland. He attended Hampton University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree from Hampton University in 1948. Hampton’s job placement program led Chase to Austin, Texas, where he worked as a draftsman and contractor, and where he met and married Drucie Rucker Chase, whom he referred to as “the wind beneath his sails.” On June 7, 1950, at the University of Texas in Austin, John Saunders Chase became the first African American to enroll at a major university in the South. Read more of his story here.

Wendell Campbell, nationally recognized architect and urban planner, passed away peacefully Wednesday, July 9, 2008. Mr. Campbell was 81 years old.

Born on April 27, 1927 Mr. Campbell grew up in East Chicago, IN the fourth of six children. He was often called to work alongside his father, a carpenter, who demanded perfection in every project. Following fourteen months of service Mr. Campbell was honorably discharged and he returned home to study architecture. Mr. Campbell was the recipient of several scholarships and he graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1957 with a B.A. in Architecture and City Planning. Read more of his story here.

Leroy Campbell, AIA NOMA was born on July 5, 1927, in New York City. After graduating from Rock Castle High School in Virginia, he attended the school of Architecture at Howard University from which he graduated in 1951.

After working with several firms in the Washington DC area. Leroy met John D. Sulton, his future partner, while working with Hillard Robinson, FAIA. In 1964, Leroy and John formed the successful firm of Sulton Campbell & Associates, Chartered. Their firm was once one of the largest firms in the area with offices in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. Although his experience was wide-ranging, most of Campbell’s work consisted of large scale housing developments. Institutional architecture, transportation projects and medical facilities. Read more of his story here.

William M. Brown Jr., affectionately called “Bill,” was born and raised in the City of Newark, NJ. He attended Newark Public Schools, South Street School and Franklin Ave Schools be­fore attending Barringer High School. Bill graduated from Howard University in 1952, with a Bachelor of Architecture/Construction degree.

He joined forces with his colleague Reginald C. Hale, also a Howard University School of Architecture graduate, to open the first African- American architectural firm in the City of Newark, NJ, Brown and Hale Architects, in 1962. Along with a long list of accomplishments, William M. Brown Jr. became the first African- American President of the Newark and Suburban Architects in 1973. Read more of his amazing story here.