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A Tribute to Bryce
A reflection upon Bryce's passing.
I did not have the pleasure of knowing Bryce for very long, but the time I did spend with him was enough to know that he was a fantastic human. I had the privilege of being in a TxA mentor group of which Bryce was the leader. I was among a handful of unlicensed designers that met with Bryce once a month to discuss topics like licensure, work-life balance, firm dynamics, and to simply let Bryce talk about his time in practice and give us his advice.
Besides his gentle and thoughtful personality, he displayed a genuine care for the city of Dallas. I remember watching him on the local news passionately explaining the pitfalls of placing a tollway in the Trinity River. He talked with our group about the importance of being plugged in locally and of advocating for positive change in our city.
Bryce had already retired when our group was meeting, so he was able to look back and reflect on his career as he was sharing with us. One piece of advice I will never forget was given after someone in our group asked him, “What is the one thing you would do differently in your career, looking back on it now?” To which Bryce thoughtfully replied, “I would take people out to lunch more. Clients, co-workers, consultants, friends, you name it.” This has stuck with me. It showed how he believed it was important to get to know people and value them. This advice also seemed to insinuate that we shouldn’t be so caught up in our work that we ignore those around us, because when it all comes down to it, people are what matter.
I did not have much contact with Bryce since our group finished meeting, so the announcement of his death caught me off guard. I am deeply saddened by his passing as are many others. The city of Dallas and the family of architects are now at a loss due to his untimely departure. But I know his gentle and positive spirit will live on in the lives of the many that he worked with and those like me who were lucky to be mentored by him, if only for a few short months. If I can take anything from this reflection upon Bryce’s passing, I believe it emphasizes the importance of mentoring those younger and/or less experienced than ourselves, and shows the value of living a life which values others. We don’t know how much time we have, and our lives have greater meaning when we share them with others. I hope to be like Bryce, always positive, encouraging, sharing, and striving for a better future.
Talk About It
I was a friend of Bryce after I met him when I worked briefly for GFF in Dallas in the mid 2000's. I remember him as a skillful communicator and a person admired for his painted/drawing examples from his travels both domestically and abroad. I remember a particular time that I met him again at a DMA lecture on architecture and we talked about a recent job change I had gone thru. He bought me a beer and I thought to myself what a great person to listen to what I had been through. Bryce was that kind of Architect - a person that listened to other person's in the field of architecture and encourage them. He will be missed!!