The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) sadly announces the passing of past president Harry G. Robinson III, FAIA, of Washington, DC. Robinson served as NCARB’s president from 1992-1993, during which time he led the development of NCARB’s first continuing education courses for architects.

Robinson was a member of the District of Columbia Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture for over a decade, including three terms as chair. Robinson was elected NCARB president in 1992 after serving terms as the organization’s Region 2 director, secretary, second vice president, and first vice president/president-elect.

Throughout his service to NCARB, Robinson volunteered on numerous committees and helped negotiate an international reciprocity agreement between NCARB and its counterparts in Canada and Mexico. As president, Robinson worked to initiate the study that would become the 1996 Building Community report, also known as the Boyer Report, which guided NCARB’s engagement with architectural education for years to come.

In addition to his service to NCARB, Robinson was actively engaged in the architectural community, especially in the realm of architectural education. Following his service on the NCARB Board of Directors, Robinson was elected president of the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) in 1996. He was a professor and Dean Emeritus at the Howard University School of Architecture and Design and founded both the Career Discovery Program in Architecture and the African American Architect Initiative.

A U.S. Army veteran, Robinson served in the Vietnam War and achieved the rank of first lieutenant. Robinson received numerous awards over the course of his career, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Whitney M. Young Award in 1990, Lambda Alpha International’s Richard T. Ely Distinguished International Educator Award in 1991, and the AIA DC Centennial Medal in 2003. In 1990, he was elevated to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows in recognition of his service to the profession. Robinson was also awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals for his service in Vietnam. He obtained a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of City Planning from Howard University, as well as a Master of City Planning in Urban Design from Harvard University.