HAL M DEAN
Noted architect Hal Dean passed away on December 22nd peacefully at his home in Las Vegas,
NV. Born on March
23, 1935 in Raton, NM to John Thomas Dean and Opal Eden, Hal and his older brother Ron grew up in a small, rural railroad town which sparked his lifelong love of trains. At 19, he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1954 where he learned many important lessons including a desire to study architecture. After his discharge in 1956, Hal utilized the GI Bill to obtain a degree in architecture from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, graduating in 1964. Another formative experience for Hal was apprenticing as an architect in Australia in the 60’s, spending time in both Sydney as well as Perth prior to returning to Albuquerque to complete his certification to register as a licensed architect and open a small firm in 1970. Hal’s firm designed many award-winning buildings including the City/
County Government Center building in Albuquerque, and several libraries for both the University of New Mexico as well as New Mexico State University.
The New Mexico State Records Center and Archives were also the result of his firm’s work. Some noteworthy private residences in Santa Fe, Cedar Crest and Pecos, New Mexico were also the result of his client-centered creative process. In 2000, Hal moved to Las Vegas, NV to join Tom Schoeman at JMA architectural firm. Tom was a former apprentice of Hal’s who provided him with the opportunity to focus more on design and less on managing a firm.
Hal firmly believed that the best three-dimensional thinking primarily occurred through hand-drawing, model-building, and peer-critique. He actively sought opportunities to cultivate the power of sketching from aspiring architectural students in both New Mexico and Las Vegas with recently concluded seminars and classes at the College of Southern Nevada. He published these ideas in a work titled “Wild Ink: 10 Steps to Learning how to Sketch” in collaboration with Dr. Brian J. Miller. Well-traveled, Hal often used his trips to create sketches of the local environs much to the delight of his traveling companions.
When not designing, Hal channeled his early awe of those powerful trains charging up Raton Pass into a lifelong pursuit of motorcycles, fast cars and even dune buggies. As a father to two daughters and a son, he relished those activities where he could use his design skill on important matters such as tree-house construction and pumpkin carving. He also valued and kept large dogs as beloved pets most of his adult life, frequently taking them to Red Rock Canyon for long walks to sketch familiar areas with ever-changing light conditions.
Now rejoined with his brother Ron, Hal is survived by his wife of 54 years, Susan Dean, a Great Pyrenees named Sam, children Erin Dean, Ryan Dean and Kelli Dean Calhoun and six wonderful grandchildren who were influenced by and continue in his artistic sensibilities. No memorial is planned at this time and the family requests that in lieu of flowers donations can be made to the schools of architecture at either the University of New Mexico or the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
No services scheduled.