So being at the 2019 NOMA Conference this week in Brooklyn seeing my old friends from INOMA made me realize how much I miss Ken, how much architecture meant to him and what a great honor it was and is to know him. His passion was contagious even from the start. I met Ken at UIC when we were in architecture school. We started BASE Black Architecture & Art Students for Excellence together with Darryl Crosby and others. Of course we didn’t know what we were doing at the time; we just had meetings and events to showcase our work and to meet with professionals to get internships. BASE eventually became what is known today as the UIC NOMAS chapter. Ken was a lot older than the rest of us apparently he was working before he ever came to architecture school and he knew a lot about what we should be doing so he was quite popular. Most of us were great artist and just learning architecture and what it really takes to become one, Ken was sure what it took and how to get there. In fact I threatened to drop out several times, once to become a real estate lawyer and another to become an accountant. When I found out I would have to start all over again if I switched my major I went to Ken told him about my plans……….. he quickly helped me see that at least finishing what I started in architecture was the best course of action. So I stay that time. We all eventually graduated and got jobs, some got married, others moved away but our core group remained together. We all joined INOMA as interns and began our journey of taking the licensing exams…………….this was back in the days when they gave it once or twice a year and you had to take it all at once.When times got tough Ken stayed the course and encouraged all of us to do the same. He was the go-to guy for advice, help, encouragement and support. He was always calm, collected and committed to architecture and life. We had a great NOMA chapter, we did everything together, work, play, vacation it was a very close family of like minds growing and enjoying life. We all took turns being officers and creating interesting activities for the chapter to stay involved and engaged.I’m not sure who came up with INOMA being in the Bud Bulliken Parade but it was the most fun and I am glad they are still doing it. We were all really engaged in our profession, careers and life my time in INOMA was the best and Ken and my other UIC alumni made all the difference in my life. So for almost 10 years we were always together, most of us worked together, some lived together, other became lovers…… we were at each other’s family events in fact my cousins thought suddenly I had several new brothers and tons of new sisters, they became like family. Ken and Erroll were my personal photographers taking pictures at all of our family events and when they weren’t available then Latonia stepped in. Photography was another way we bonded you see Architects are artist at the core and each of us has another form of art that we love and practice whether its painting, sculpture, photographer or furniture design it all makes us better architects. I never worked with Ken but I referred many clients to him because I knew he knew what he was doing and I always wanted him to succeed. I had so many interest outside of architecture I was always trying something new and Ken was my biggest supporter, like I said earlier I threatened to quit architecture several times and each time Ken would support my newest endeavor until I decided to come back, he would always say you will be back…………….and he was right I always came back. Until one day I had this idea that I wanted to move to California the land of sunshine. I told my architecture friends and they were like really………why? Well, I said I just want to, I want see the world and be warm in the winter, everyone thought that was a dumb reason for leaving our cozy close knit architecture family but not Ken he once again supported my decision and said you’ll be back. Well I never actually moved back but I came back many times over the years to visit family and friends. Ken made sure we got together every time, organizing dinners and parties with all our colleagues and alumni so I could visit with them all in one place and at the same time. He also resumed his role as family photographer along with Erroll, never missing a family event and always providing excellent photo coverage. I could go on and on and on about Ken the great guy he is, the great architect he became, the lover of life he shared, I just know I had the pleasure of calling him friend, spending tons of quality time with him, growing and developing in architecture with him, witnessing him finally find the love of his life and on, and on, and on, and…………………………on, I won’t because you all already know how blessed we have been to have known Ken.Always in my heart………….Eletrice