Joseph A. Wilkes ’41

Joseph A. Wilkes ’41, an eminent Washington, D.C., architect, died on August 18, 2010, in Rockville, Maryland. After graduation he served as captain in the Air Force in North Africa, Sicily and France and in 1946 brought home a bride from England, the late Margaret Wilcoxson. She was his spouse for 44 years and bore him two sons, Jeffrey ’70 and Roger. After the war Joe took his architectural training and earned his master’s at the Columbia University School of Architecture (1949) and spent the rest of his career teaching architecture and establishing a national reputation in the field. Joe was particularly noted in architectural circles for his environmental awareness, and the firm he founded won institutional and commercial contracts that reflected this interest. Joe taught at the University of Florida and at the University of Maryland. In 1977 he was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He edited the five-volume Encyclopedia of Architecture (1988) and was co-editor of Architectural Acoustics (1999). Joe served as president of the National Center for a Barrier-Free Environment and worked on accessibility standards for the Americans With Disabilities Act. An active Dartmouth alumnus, he served as treasurer of the Dartmouth Club of Washington (1969-71) and class agent (1991-92 and 1994-2002).