The Celebration of Life for Paul Helmle

The Celebration of Life for Paul Helme was held on February 8, 2016 at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona at the College of Environmental Design (ENV) Building.  There were many people there, “the Tribe” as dean Michael Woo called it and there were nothing but kind words to be said, especially by his partner Nick Pyle, about this not only wonderful architect and professor, but an extraordinary human being who I was lucky enough to have had him as my first and last (in a way) teacher at the School of Architecture.

We could share a story about our experiences with Paul and as I had written on many sheets of paper and then edited while sitting, and we had to stand and hold a mic, it was a bit like presenting without pinup space, but this was what I said:

Michele Grace Hottel, class of 1988 (almost, if I ever complete that College Algebra class)

Architecture

Going to architecture school can be grueling

Practicing architecture can be demanding

and

Teaching architecture can be exasperating...

-so I hear

I don’t teach, not that I wouldn’t want to, but I have been at many architecture crits over the years.  From what I see and have been told, it is difficult to tell your students one thing and have them do something totally in the opposite direction--- to instruct but to be ignored.

but ultimately it is:

“do as I say, not as I do”

And what does this have to do with Paul Helmle?

Because there are some architects, “starchitects” whose teaching concept is about making you into the next better them.

Paul’s was about making you into the next better you.

I had Paul Helmle for first quarter of second year, I was a transfer student to Cal Poly, I was nervous and unsure of whether I could handle it.  I can remember one of the first pin-ups, he stood before my drawings, cocked his head, squinting his eyes from inches away and said,

“You draw quite beautifully”

And I was on my way

When we came back from a year abroad, we had missed the deadline for picking fifth year studio classes and were put in a studio we didn’t want, “because we were Eurotrash and designers and we did not want to do that and so we went to the new unsuspecting chair of the architecture department and told him of “our plight”.  He told us that we could have our own class and that he would facilitate it.

The other professors said, “No, they can’t do that”, and started a list of things that they wanted us to do, but Paul just stood there with a mischievous look in his eyes and said,

“weeellll…”

Because he knew that the lessons he had been teaching had not gone unheard, the project assignment had been completed, the student had excelled and all of us are now architects.  His work was done.

Thank you, Paul.

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MGHarchitect: Michele Grace Hottel, Architect