Much loved Emeritus Professor, William “George” Chamberlain passed away in 2005 following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Professor Chamberlain came to OSU as an architecture student from North Little Rock, Arkansas, graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1947. After serving in the military during WWII, he taught in the School of Architecture for almost 40 years until his retirement in 1987.
Professor Chamberlain had a profound influence on the lives of countless OSU architecture students. We all have our Professor Chamberlain stories! He taught both design studio and for many years headed the history/ theory curriculum. Professor Chamberlain was an early champion of non-western architecture and offered several courses exploring this important area. He also taught the intricacies of “shade and shadow” to generations of architecture graduates.
Professor Chamberlain was imbued with a keen sense of curiosity that led him on a perpetual quest for new knowledge. He was always a “student” of architecture as well as being a teacher. Towards the end of his teaching career he was the first School of Architecture faculty member to fully embrace the computer as an important new tool in the early 1980’s.
We will all miss Professor Chamberlain’s passion and commitment to architecture and Oklahoma State University and his wonderful wry sense of humor.
