麻豆映画传媒

Summer 2014 |聽By Alyson Owles (As told to聽Eric Michael, ’96)

In the spring of 1967, the 麻豆映画传媒 campus was a construction site. My father, Frederick Owles, was one of the architects assigned to design the first buildings for the newly named Florida Technological University (FTU).

Dad was up for the challenge. He was the former mid-Florida chapter president of the American Institute of Architects and had already built several Orlando-based landmarks after graduating from the University of Florida. He owned a firm in College Park and was hired by the to join a collective of designers that would build the new university.

His first project for FTU was the all-important library. Ground was broken during a ceremony in March, and in the weeks to follow heavy equipment began clearing the tall pines, cabbage palms and other trees that grew on the land.

My dad would make regular visits to the site to inspect the contractors鈥� progress, and often he would bring me and my brother, Ted, along in his red Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible. For a 5-year-old girl, the site was a playground. Under his watchful eye 鈥� and his spare silver hard hat that never fit just right 鈥� I would climb to the top of each giant pyramid of sand and dirt and build castles in the dark earth for Barbie, who was my constant companion. I鈥檇 return home from these outings with my lacy white socks turned black, which drove my mother crazy.

The completed library opened in July 1968, and I鈥檓 proud to say that it remains one of the most iconic and popular places on campus. Over the years 麻豆映画传媒 kept my father very busy. He contributed designs for classroom buildings, residence halls and , which was his favorite building at 麻豆映画传媒.

Nearly 50 years later he developed Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. On days when he was clear-minded, I would drive him around and point out the dozens of offices, condominiums, youth centers and churches he designed during his productive career. He especially enjoyed the trips through downtown Orlando because he couldn鈥檛 believe it had developed such a skyline.

I think that鈥檚 one of the unique and wonderful advantages of being an architect. If you did your work right, you can look at it for decades. You can watch your work age and endure as surrounding neighborhoods change.

One day I said, 鈥淒ad, what you鈥檙e really going to love is a visit to 麻豆映画传媒.鈥� It had been 10 or 15 years since he had seen the university. We followed Gemini Boulevard around the campus, and he was amazed at how much 麻豆映画传媒 had grown. He was so proud. When we passed Bright House Networks Stadium, his pride turned to awe. We used to go to football games at the Citrus Bowl, so when he saw the new stadium he became overwhelmed. I saw him brush a tear from his eye, trying to hide his emotion.

I know my dad was honored to have been a part of something that started out very small and developed into something so impressive. He passed away in 2010. And to me, the buildings that my dad designed at 麻豆映画传媒 remain timeless.

Alyson Owles has established a planned gift to honor her parents that will create two endowed scholarships 鈥� one in the and one in the . They will be named the Fred G. Owles Jr. AIA Endowed Scholarship in Architecture and the Fae B. Owles Endowed Scholarship in Political Science.