Jack C Durgan Retires in 1988

One of the nation’s leading interior architectural design programs was founded by Jack C. Durgan in 1965.  His educational training was in architecture, and he was registered and practiced for several years before seeking his master’s degree in architecture from Kansas State University in 1957.  After completing graduate work, he began his teaching career in the Department of Architecture at Kansas State University.  Jack’s creative skills and innovative teaching methods have touched the lives of many of the current practicing architects who have gone through the programs in architecture and interior architecture at Kansas State University.

Few people in their lifetimes have had the opportunity to affect the direction of their profession in such a major way as has Jack Durgan.  His insightful vision of the unique and distinctively new specialization of interior architecture made Kansas State University a leader in the field of interior architectural design education.  The department at K-State was one of the first three design programs to be accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research.  This new direction in architectural education was soon recognized by other institutions of higher education and led to the development of similar curricula at those schools.

Another of Jack Durgan’s visionary concepts was the development of a prototype design workshop which allowed students the opportunity to develop their designs in a three-dimensional mode.  This design workshop, developed within the context of an architectural program, was again at the leading edge of all other design programs in the country.  Jack recognized the importance of having students compete in national competitions, and he encouraged his faculty and students to do so.  The students in the Department of Interior Architecture have won over 45 national and international design awards, far exceeding any other interior architectural/design program in the United States.  These accomplishments, along with the high quality of the program, have led the Department of Interior Architecture to be recognized by the Kansas Board of Regents as a “Program of Excellence.”

Over the years in his capacity as educator, Jack was an outstanding mentor to young faculty.  He assisted them in any way he could to make sure that they had the opportunity, resources, and educational environment to be successful.  His outstanding career has been recognized not only at the state and regional levels, but more importantly on the national level.  Jack has served on many national committees and also was a national accreditation team member for FIDER on several occasions.  Professor Durgan’s educational career spanned 34 years at Kansas State University, retiring from full-time teaching in 1988.  During those years, he helped to shape and direct many students’ educational lives and careers in a manner that cannot be duplicated.