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A native of Great Bend, James Calcara is a third-generation K-Stater who always knew he would attend college here.

Jim was first introduced to the world of architecture as a young boy when his family built a new house. He was immediately hooked. During the summer prior to his final year of architecture studies, Jim won a student exchange scholarship to work at an architectural firm in Maidstone, England. This led to his first-ever airplane trip and gave Jim the opportunity to attend the World's Fair in New York during his flight layover. While in England, he purchased a bicycle and a Europass (for his first-ever train ride) and traveled throughout the continent on $5 a day. Seeing Paris, Rome, Munich, Amsterdam, and Nice gave Jim a broader outlook on architecture and its impact on our world. Luckily, he did return from Europe to complete his degree, graduating in 1968 with the Bachelor of Architecture.

In 1978, while employed at Kivett and Myer in Kansas City, Jim worked with fellow K-State graduate Marvin Manlove to plan and design the United Telecom Headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Marvin developed a detailed program that defined how the company needed to work. Jim then designed the building around that program, with Marvin providing constant input in terms of functional relationships, furniture and workstations, power and communication systems, etc. The end result was a high-profile headquarters facility with improved space efficiency, reduced operating costs, and increased employee satisfaction, thus supporting United Telecom's business objectives and processes. The success of this project convinced Jim and Marvin of how architecture should be done--using an "inside-out" design philosophy upon which they later founded their own firm, CDFM2 Architecture, with two fellow K-State architecture graduates, Paul Duffendack and Mike Foss.

With Jim and Marvin still at the helm, CDFM2 has grown to be one of Kansas City's most respected architectural firms. Their inside-out approach has led to a highly successful team-based practice of 55 multi-disciplined professionals working on some of Kansas City's most high-profile projects, including H&R Block's new World Headquarters, the new Downtown entertainment district, KCI Airport Terminals Improvement, and Science City at Union Station Renovation.

Recognized for his passion and expertise in urban design, Jim has had an uncommon influence and impact, through design and strategic initiatives, on the pattern of urban development, sensitively blending rehabilitated buildings with new construction to improve the aesthetics, quality, and vitality of Kansas City's urban community.

Jim has also provided leadership on many committees of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Urban Land Institute, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Council, Area Development Council, and business roundtables. He is the founding member and current chair of the Avenue of the Arts Foundation and a driving force behind critical reinvestment in the urban center. His current civic involvement also includes serving as Vice President, Committee Chair, and Executive Committee member for the Kansas City Zoo, as well as membership on the Advisory Council for the Business Committee for the Arts (BCA).

In recognition of his work on the Avenue of the Arts, Jim received the 2003 National Business Committee for the Arts Innovation Award presented by the BCA and Forbes Magazine. Additional awards and honors include the 2000 Neighborhood Hero Award from the Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance, the 1998 Kansas City Business Journal and Mayer Hoffman McCann Up and Comers Award presented by Junior Achievement of Middle America, and the Top Ten Small Business of the Year Award in 1998 from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Ingram's Magazine, which rates Kansas City's Best of Business, selected CDFM2 Architecture to receive its Silver or Gold Award as Best Architectural Firm and its Gold Award as Best Commercial Interior Design Firm for the past five years.

Through the years, Jim has given to our College his time and energy by participation in a number of College-sponsored Design Weekends and design charettes, as well as service to the College's programs located on the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Recently, Jim has formed an exciting new partnership with the K-State College of Architecture, Planning, and Design. Realizing the devastating diminishment of state government funding and the frailty of individual alumni donor support in uncertain financial times, Jim has begun organizing design professionals to partner with their corporate clients to become potential corporate donors to our educational programs. An important early phase of this initiative is the enlightenment of such potential donors about the true inadequate state-supported funding level of higher education, as well as the long-term benefits from pursuing quality design education, hiring talented young graduates, and having top-notch design products and solutions.

We are privileged to count Jim Calcara 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.