John L. Wilson AL AB’ 62, MAR ’66 passed away at his home in Newton at the age of 78. Among his many achievements, Wilson founded the Boston Society of Architects Task Force to End Homelessness in 1986, bringing together the pro bono talents of some 200 design professionals. “The architectural community was so excited that 26 different precious stones could be used in the lobby of an office building, yet there were people sleeping on the grates outside,” Mr. Wilson told the Boston Globe in 1996. “It was as if the money pumped into these buildings grew to represent the hope sucked out of the poorest urban neighborhoods.”

“He absolutely served as a conscience for the profession,” said Elizabeth Padjen, a former president of the Boston Society of Architects and a former editor of ArchitectureBoston magazine. “Sometimes an organization or a board is lucky enough to have a member who serves as its social conscience, someone who will articulate its values and articulate a greater purpose. And John just did that.”

A fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Wilson was recognized with a Whitney M. Young Jr. Award by the organization in 1996 for his task force work.

Read Wilson’s obituary in the Boston Globe. 

Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe.