Building on the adage that "without failure, there is no success," the CRS Center in Texas A&M University's College of Architecture will present "Three Firms, Three Strategies: Successes and Failures" on February 8. This is the first in a new series of Rowlett Lectures of Distinguished Design and Construction firms. The Rowlett lecture series, endowed in 1979 through a grant to the Texas Architectural Foundation from the founders of CRS and Mrs. Virginia Rowlett, honors CRS cofounder John M. Rowlett and aspires to bring speakers of national and international significance to the architecture community.

The February 8 lecture begins at 12:45 p.m. at the Bush Presidential Conference Center, Texas A&M University. Dr. Ray M. Bowen, the university's president, will open the half-day conference, at which members of three of the world's most influential architecture firms—3D/International; HKS, Inc.; and RTKL Associates, Inc.—will examine their history and consider their future through a series of presentations and four panel discussions. Each of the first three panels will focus on the individual firms:

HKS
• H. Ralph Hawkins, FAIA (panel organizer)
• Nunzio M. Desantis, AIA
• Taama Marti Forasiepi, AIA
• Francisco G. Gonzalez, AIA
• Jack R. Yardley, FAIA.

RTKL
• Harold L. Adams, FAIA, RIBA, JIA (panel organizer)
• Dianne Blair Black, AIA
• Paul G. Hanegraaf, AIA
• Lance K. Josal, AIA.

3D/International
• William Turner, AIA (panel organizer)
• Gary Boyd, AIA
• Marvin Daniels, AIA
• Chiti Ho
• John Murph, PE.

Forming the final (and perhaps most anticipated) panel, will be Charles B. Thomsen, FAIA, chair of 3D/I; Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA, FACHA, chair of HKS; and Harold L. Adams, FAIA, RIBA, JIA, chair of RTKL. Through personal reflections and group discussions, these leaders in the field will share their experiences, knowledge, and insights about the complexities of directing these world-renowned firms. The conference will conclude with a dinner at the conference center.

Admission to the conference is free for Texas A&M University faculty, staff, and students. The fee for nonuniversity-affiliated individuals is $150 before January 25 and $180 thereafter. For registration information, call the CRS Center at 979-847-9357 or visit the conference Web site.

The CRS Center for Leadership and Management in the Design and Construction Industry was founded by CRSS and Texas A&M University to advance the study of leadership and management in the design and construction industry. The center houses the business archives, oral history, and architectural and publications libraries of the CRS architecture/engineering firm. The center also manages the Rowlett Lecture Series, sponsors the annual CRS Archive Scholar Award, conducts research in leadership and management, and administers the graduate certificate program in facility management. To learn more about the center, visit the Web site.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.