Type Of Business:
Design Firm
Expertise:
Mr. Pearson's expertise is in ecclesiastical building, furniture and furnishing design.
Major Product/SVS:
Consulting on Church Building Design, Furnishings and Stationary Design
Favorite Business Publication:
Colorado Business
Hobbies/Sports:
Photography
Education Degrees:
Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts, The University of New Mexico (1959)
Affiliations Awards:
American Alpine Club; Colorado Mountain Club; Wind Cave National Park History Association; Black Hills Parks and Forests Association; American Society of Civil Engineers
Place of Birth:
Hot Springs, SD
Date of Distinction:
6/6/2008
Work History:
Associate Architect, Hengel Associates, P.C., Rapid City, SD (1982-1995); Designer, Flahart, Dittman and Hengel Architects and Engineers, Rapid City, SD (1962-1967); Designer, Rysdale Architects, Phoenix, AZ (1968); Designer, Facade of Mellgren Building, Rapid City, SD (1963); Job Captain, Designer, Ewing and Forrette, Architects, Rapid City, SD (1959-1962)
What do you feel separates you from the rest of the professionals in your industry?:
Mr. Pearson's ability to design ecclesiastical furniture and furnishings outright separates him from his peers.
What has been the most outstanding thing you have done thus far in your career?:
Mr. Pearson's greatest career achievements were the design of the stone sculptures and paint color selection at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City, SD and the table of compilation of the dimensions of the cathedrals and churches.
Expanded Biography:
Mr. Pearson was born in the Black Hills of South Dakota, from which the Indians were forced to give up their rights only about 60 years earlier. There was a small river running through his hometown of hot springs, which was a picturesque place with hills on both sides of the creek having 100-foot-high cliffs nearby. On these cliffs and sometimes below them, near the stream called All River, were 'Victorian-style' buildings built of sandstone, which, to him, were very impressive. At noon, he would walk home for lunch from grade school to his parents' house on College Hill. This meant going down 143 steps, crossing the stream on a bridge and going up 121 steps to the top of the hill and reversing it to go back to school, all on stone or concrete surfaces. That is what aroused his interest in architecture and hiking. His father was a house-builder and carpenter, and his mother assisted him with bookkeeping until he left for college, when he retired and she was a county judge from 1960 to 1966.
His family went on a vacation in the southwestern United States in 1949, and since the architecture of New Mexico was unique in its Pueblo style and the Sandia Mountains were nearby and the winters were not stormy most of the time, that is where he decided to study architecture after graduating as valedictorian of his class in high school. In 1955, he began taking architectural history classes from Dr. Bainbridge Branting, a graduate of Harvard. They became good friends and he liked ecclesiastical architecture. The Fine Arts Department has a slide library named after him. He was already interested in church architecture because, in 1944, his uncle, Fred L. Mueller, took him on tour of churches and cathedrals. Shortly after he graduated from college, he discovered that the Rapid City Diocese in the Black Hills was about to plan to build a new cathedral, and he obtained employment with the architectural firm that had the contract due to the knowledge he gained from Dr. Bunting. In July 1967, he drove round trip from Hot Springs, South Dakota to Puebla, Mexico, giving his parents a tour of the countryside, which, of course, included the cathedrals in the cities.
Throughout the duration of your career, what was the one highlight that stood out the most?:
The highlight of his career was working with the architect of the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.
Charity:
St. John's Lutheran Church; Bible League; Wycliffe Bible Translators; Friend of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
Number Of Years In Profession:
50
What Does He/She Attribute Success To:
He attributes his success to his faith in God and to the opportunities presented to him at the right time.
Why did you become involved in your profession or industry?:
He became involved in his profession because of his interest in architecture.
Extended Bio Profile:
Mr. Pearson has been inducted in the 26th, 27th and 31st editions of Dictionary of International Biography, the 2000 edition of Outstanding Artists and Designers of the Twentieth Century, the 1996 edition of Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in the 21st Century and 14 editions of Who's Who in the West.
Education Certifications:
Registered Architect, States of South Dakota and New Mexico (1973); Registered Architect, Colorado (1971)