It is with deep sadness that Gresham Smith announces the passing of Batey M. Gresham Jr., AIA—one of the firm’s founders. He was 88 years old.
“Our hearts are heavy today,” said Gresham Smith CEO Rodney Chester. “Our firm, our profession and our communities have lost a leader who inspired and impacted so many. His long-term influence is nearly impossible to measure, not just because he was one of our founders, but because his dedication, values and genuine love for both employees and clients truly defined our culture and what we stand for as a firm. We all owe Batey and his wife, Ann, a debt of gratitude for a lifetime of service.”
Gresham received his Bachelor of Architecture from Auburn University in 1957. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as first lieutenant from 1957-1959, and as a captain from 1961-1962.
Batey Gresham, along with Fleming (“Flem”) W. Smith Jr., FAIA, founded Gresham and Smith Architects (now Gresham Smith) in 1967. One of the firm’s first clients was the newly formed Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).
“While most architects were solo practitioners in the mid-1960s, we chose an alternate path,” recalls co-founder Flem Smith. “We were soon bringing people into our organization who had skillsets and talents that we didn’t have so we could serve a wider range of clients. Batey excelled in this search.”
Former Gresham Smith CEO James Bearden, who joined the firm in 1976 as one of its first 100 employees, recalls joining in the midst of a recession. “I soon learned that Batey had no intention of letting a slow economy hold him back,” said Bearden. “He forged relationships on behalf of the firm that continue to benefit us to this day. His legacy lies not only in his love of architecture and the built environment, but also in the investment he made in his employees. His leadership, mentorship and friendship have been a blessing to me and my family, and he will be greatly missed.”
Former Gresham Smith CEO and current board chairman Al Pramuk recalls visiting Batey in his office for the first time as a young professional. “What impressed me the most as I left our conversation was how kind and caring he was,” said Pramuk. “This is something that is still present in Gresham Smith’s culture. Batey will be missed by many, but no doubt it is how he treated others—making them feel like they had value—that will continue on through the many lives he touched.”
Gresham was an active member of the Nashville and engineering professional communities. A registered architect in Alabama and Tennessee, he served in roles with several professional organizations, including the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Tennessee Society of Architects, the Construction Specifications Institute, the Urban Land Institute, the National Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives, the National Association of Industrial Office Parks, the Young Presidents Organization and the Chief Executives Organization.
In 1999, demonstrating his dedication to his alma mater and the architecture profession at large, Gresham, along with his wife, Ann, also an Auburn University graduate, established the Ann and Batey Gresham Endowed Professorship. At the time, it was the first endowed professorship in the university’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture’s 90-year history. He was an active member of the Auburn Alumni Association and, in 2005, was recognized by the association with the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was established to recognize outstanding professional achievement, personal integrity and service to the university.
He also volunteered on the Board of Directors of the Alcohol & Drug Council of Middle Tennessee, writing in a 1999 commentary for the Nashville Business Journal, that volunteering on the board was “one way I can invest in the future of Nashville while participating in the solution to a problem that is hurting us today.”
Gresham’s commitment to employees formed the foundation of the firm’s culture that endures to this day. “Human beings comprise the foundation of the future of any enterprise,” Gresham once wrote.
There will be a private funeral service for Batey Gresham this week. The service will be followed by a reception for family and friends on Wednesday, August 10, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Fig and Ivy, located at 2290 Moores Mill Road in Auburn, AL.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Portland Cement Association offers blast resistant design guide for reinforced concrete structures
Developed for designers and engineers, "Blast Resistant Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Structures" provides a practical treatment of the design of cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures to resist the effects of blast loads. It explains the principles of blast-resistant design, and how to determine the kind and degree of resistance a structure needs as well as how to specify the required materials and details.
| Aug 11, 2010
NASA plans federal government's greenest building
NASA is set to break ground on what the agency expects will become the highest performing building in the federal government. Named Sustainability Base, the new building at Ames Research Center in Sunnyvale, Calif., will be a showplace for sustainable technologies, featuring "NASA Inside" through the incorporation of some of the agency’s most advanced recycling and intelligent controls technologies originally developed to support NASA’s human and robotic space exploration missions.
| Aug 11, 2010
Harvard Law School Wood-Framed Houses
Cambridge, Mass.
A century ago, majestic Victorian homes lined Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, but few of these grande dames still survive. Harvard Law School owned three such beauties, which they used for office and research space. Unfortunately, the houses occupied prime real estate on which the school planned to build a new academic center. Rather than raze the historic wood-frame homes, the law school made it a priority to repurpose them.
| Aug 11, 2010
Rice concrete can cut greenhouse emissions
Rajan Vempati of ChK Group, Inc. in Plano, Texas, and a team of researchers found a way to make nearly carbon-free rice husk ash for concrete, which can lead to a boom in green construction.
| Aug 11, 2010
iSqFt acquires technology and key assets of Plan Express Inc.
Today iSqFt, the nation’s leading online preconstruction network, announced it has purchased the technology and key assets of Plan Express, Inc., a partner document-sharing network.
| Aug 11, 2010
ZweigWhite Announces 2009 Best Firms to Work For
Management consulting and research firm ZweigWhite has identified the best civil engineering, structural engineering, multidiscipline A/E services, environmental services, and architecture firms to work for in its annual ranking of top industry firms. These outstanding employers were selected based on their commitment to provide a positive work environment and challenging and interesting work opportunities for their employees.
