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William B. Livingston decided early in his high school studies to turn his life-long creativity and interests in art and drawing into a career as an architect. Now he is President and Chief Executive Officer of Gossen Livingston of Wichita, one of the largest and most successful architectural firms based in Kansas.

Originally from Wichita, Livingston graduated from Kansas State University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. After working at a small firm in Salina, he accepted employment in Wichita for a short time before moving to Dallas where he was in charge of design during the construction documents phase of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Upon that project's conclusion, he returned to Wichita once more where he met and worked with fellow KSU alumnus Thomas Gossen. In 1972, they formed the Gossen Livingston partnership.

During the last quarter century, Gossen Livingston has grown from a fledgling two-person firm to an organization with annual revenues of $8 million and nearly 50 employees in Wichita, plus offices in Kansas City, El Paso, Houston and Denver. The firm's design work has often been published in such periodicals as The New York Times, Architectural Record, Building Design and Construction, and Architecture, and has been featured on CNN. Livingston credits the firm's success to recognizing its problems--and then finding the right answers. He also stresses positive client relationships and getting to know their businesses better than they do. Being proactive rather than reactive is a guiding precept at Gossen Livingston.

While responsible for the overall management of the firm, Livingston regularly participates in the design, planning and general supervision of significant projects, and he maintains his professional registration as an architect in Kansas and 38 other states. A member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Livingston is a past president of the Kansas Chapter and the Wichita section. He has also served as chairperson, vice chairperson, or member of numerous AIA committees at the state and national levels. He is currently president-elect of the Downtown Wichita Association, chairperson of the Wichita Public Art Advisory Board, and a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation.

A busy practicing architect who serves his profession and also attends to many civic duties, Livingston has always found the time, energy, and desire to serve Kansas State University and our College of Architecture, Planning, and Design. Gossen Livingston has hosted numerous events for the Wichita area alumni of our College, as well as for prospective students and their parents, and the firm can always be counted on to provide visiting critics for studio reviews, jurors for design charrettes, or other support for whatever activity is at hand. In 1991, Gossen Livingston created a scholarship given annually to deserving students studying architecture at K-State. Livingston admits to appreciating the stimulation and enjoyment he receives from involvement with young, creative minds. He realizes that our students are his employees of the future--that young people in general are our future--and he believes he has an obligation to do everything he can to further their development.

His tireless devotion and myriad contributions are exemplary samples of the support we need and have come to expect from our alumni. We are privileged to count William B. Livingston among the alumni of our College of Architecture, Planning, and Design, and we are proud to nominate him to receive a Kansas State University Distinguished Service Award.