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DeNorval Unthank Jr. (October 27, 1929 – November 2, 2000) was an American architect. In 1951 he was the first black man to earn an architecture degree from the
University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
(UO). Unthank worked on the courthouse in
Lane County, Oregon Lane County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,971, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Eugene. It is named in honor of Joseph Lane, Orego ...
; McKenzie Hall (formerly the UO School of Law building); and Kennedy Junior Middle School in
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...
. He is the eponym of Unthank Hall at UO.


Personal life and education

DeNorval Unthank Jr. was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 27, 1929, to Dr. DeNorval Unthank Sr., and Thelma Shipman Unthank. Shortly after he was born, the family moved to the Pacific Northwest, where his father served as one of Portland's first African American physicians, and was a co-founder of the Portland Urban League. In 1946 Unthank Jr. graduated from Franklin High School. He studied for two years at
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
before returning to Oregon to attend the University of Oregon. Unthank met Doris Burgess in 1951 at the University of Oregon. She was a white student, a member of
Gamma Phi Beta Gamma Phi Beta (, also known as GPhi or Gamma Phi) is an international college sorority. It was founded in Syracuse University in 1874, and was the first of the Greek organizations to call itself a sorority. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Man ...
sorority. In May 1951, some men burned a cross on the sorority's lawn, and she was pressured to leave the sorority. Following Unthank's graduation from the
School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...
, he and Burgess married on July 7, 1951, in the state of
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, because interracial marriage was illegal in Oregon. They divorced in 1972. Unthank later married Jill Coxon. He had five children: Peter, Blaire, Amy, Libby, and Melissa. Unthank died on November 2, 2000, of
kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include spr ...
.


Career

From 1952 to 1955, Unthank designed and built houses with Dick Chambers, who later started Chambers Construction Co. in Eugene. In 1955, Unthank began working for Wilmsen Endicott Architects. In 1960, he became a partner of the firm Wilmsen, Endicott and Unthank, Architects. In 1968, Unthank joined with Otto Poticha and Grant Seder in the firm of Unthank Seder Poticha Architects. By 1985, the firm also included Ed Waterbury, one of his former students. Unthank "designed schools, public buildings and business facilities around the state", including some in the Eugene area, including J.F. Kennedy Junior High School, and Springfield's
Thurston High School Thurston High School is a public high school located in the Thurston area of Springfield, Oregon, United States. Academics In 2008, 80% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 338 students, 271 graduated, 30 dropped out, 11 re ...
. From 1993-98, the firm was known as Unthank Waterbury. He served as an architecture professor at UO from 1965 to 1980.


Awards and legacy

In 1980, following twenty individual
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awards, he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, "recognizing his design work on the Lane County Courthouse, the former UO Law School, Central Oregon Community College campus buildings in Bend, the U.S. Consulate Quarters in Fukuoka, Japan, and numerous banks, professional offices, churches, and private residences around the state of Oregon". In June 2015 his name was installed in Lawrence Hall at UO, and the University announced a US$5000 annual "Faculty Excellence Award" to support architecture faculty teaching and research. In June 2017, the University of Oregon honored Unthank by renaming a dormitory after him, "Unthank Hall". The building had previously been named after the Ku Klux Klan leader
Frederic Stanley Dunn Frederic "Freddie" Stanley DunnAs spelled at: (August 3, 1872 – January 7, 1937) was an American scholar of classical studies on the faculty of the University of Oregon (UO), and a Ku Klux Klan leader. Early life and education Born in ...
. In May 2021, the University of Oregon Board of Trustees, at the recommendation of UO President Michael Schill, approved a transfer of the name Unthank Hall to the new dormitory building set to open in August 2021.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unthank, DeNorval, Jr. 1929 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American architects Architects from Oregon Deaths from kidney cancer Educators from Missouri Howard University alumni Artists from Eugene, Oregon People from Kansas City, Missouri University of Oregon alumni University of Oregon faculty African-American history in Eugene, Oregon African-American history of Oregon African-American architects 20th-century African-American artists