Remembering Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA
AIA mourns the passing of former AIA President Marvin Malecha, who died on Monday, May 4, due to complications from heart surgery. He was 70 years old.
Born on June 6, 1949, Malecha was a graduate of the University of Minnesota and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, beginning his architecture career in Cambridge, Mass. He became the dean of the College of Environmental Design at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, in 1976 where he remained for 18 years. Malecha was then named dean of the College of Design at North Carolina State University. After 20 years at NC State, Malecha returned to California as president and chief academic officer at the NewSchool of Architecture and Design in San Diego in 2016. Malecha was also an author and his latest book, Being Creative: Being a Creative, was released in 2015.
Malecha was named a distinguished professor by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, earned the Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education from AIA, and was also the only American educator named an honorary member of the European Association for Architectural Education. Malecha is survived by his wife, Cynthia, and their two children.
