Now retired, deShong spent 40 years designing high-profile buildings and facilities for the country’s top colleges and universities. Working with Koetter Kim & Associates, Kyu Sung Woo, Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, and other renowned firms, he led teams whose work now helps define the campuses of Cornell, Yale, Dartmouth, Harvard, Bowdoin, and Brown, among others. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and the Temple University School of Architecture, and served on numerous professional committees.
Education: B.A. (Architecture), Syracuse University; M.Arch., University of Pennsylvania; Master of Design Studies (Urban Design/Housing), Harvard University
Examples of his work: The Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Australia; Klarman Hall and the Physical Sciences Building at Cornell University; Rosenkranz Hall at Yale University; and Akron Street Graduate Housing at Harvard University, winner, in 2011, of the Harleston Parker Medal (for the most beautiful building built in Boston).
Favorite places at Williston: “Perhaps the Schoolhouse, coming together with fellow students to retrieve mail, mingling at snacks (graham crackers and milk) in the basement, milling between classes in shared corridors. I also enjoyed Lossone Arena, the special camaraderie among hockey team members.”
In his own words: “Working on any type of public building is an honor, because you are serving a larger community. When I started in architecture, we felt like, ‘Gee, we are being paid to do this work.’ I felt very fortunate to go into that career for that reason.”