Ray Kappe (1927 - 2019)

That statement recounts the education and career of Kappe, which took him from Minneapolis to California and saw him found not one, but two architecture programs in the Los Angeles area. First, in 1968, he helped found the School of Environmental Design at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. Four years later, in 1972, he banded with his wife Shelly Kappe, who celebrated her 90th birthday in May, as well as Thom Mayne, Jim Stafford, Glen Small, Ahde Lahti, and Bill Simonian to found The New School, which was later renamed SCI-Arc. This "group of faculty and students," per SCI-Arc, "wanted to approach the subject of architecture from a more experimental perspective than was currently offered by traditional institutions." This "college without walls" is one of the few independent architecture schools in the world. Kappe served as director from 1972 to 1987 but was involved as chairman and interim director into this century.

Kappe was also an accomplished and respected architect. The house he designed for himself and completed in 1967 was designated a Cultural Heritage Monument by the City of Los Angeles and was honored with the 25-Year Design Award from AIA LA and the 25-Year Award from the AIA California Council.

SCI-Arc's farewell statement includes some words from faculty and directors that followed in Kappe's footsteps, a few of them excerpted below.