The 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University Of Southern California School Of Architecture located in Los Angeles, of which Downey is a suburb, has been awarded to Kelly Sutherlin McLeod, FAIA.
This is an architectural honor that is one of the most prestigious in the United States. McLeod has previously won awards for the rehabilitation of historic buildings and has played a significant role in raising awareness in the mainstream of architectural discourse the issues of conservation and preservation. This honor from the USC School of Architecture acknowledges the importance of heritage conservation as being critical in both its professional and academic curricula.
Emeritus ACSA Distinguished Professor and former Dean of the USC School of Architecture, Robert Harris, FAIA, commented that USC has just celebrated 100 years of architecture and so it is appropriate that she receives this award at this time for her advocacy for design excellence, as well as her heritage conservation.
Atsuko Tanaka, of the Nippon Institute of Technology near Tokyo, added that her work in architectural preservation is known outside of the United States. He has seen her intercultural exchanges between his country and the United States, and her work on the Huntington Japanese House.
The USC School of Architecture has most likely used various printing services to announce this special award to the architectural community, as McLeod is the first woman to receive this honor.
