Thomas M. Colbert ’76

The following is an expanded version of a memorial from the April 6, 2016, issue.

Thomas Matthew Colbert died Aug. 21, 2015, in Houston, after an 11-month struggle with stomach cancer.

A native of New Orleans, Tom graduated from Metairie Park Country Day School before coming to Princeton, where he majored in architecture and urban planning.

"Tom burned bright and hot in our precocious and gifted architecture department,” said architecture classmate Joe Pomar. “I remember his physical strength as he gave no quarter to disability and the mental agility he brought to the brain teasers of our design projects  His draftsmanship was also superb - yes, in those pre-computer days, we actually used ink and paper for our design drawings - and Tom’s designs were incisive and sharply rendered. And then there was the bemused eye that he cast on the personalities and goings on in our little department. It was fun to share the stage with him. No surprise to hear that he brought six kids into the world, achieved a professorship no less …and if you can, go back into the PAW archives to reach the scathing letter he wrote with regard to historical reproductions on the modern campus. His letter to the editor brought forth a belly laugh. He never pulled his punches. The architecture world and Princeton have lost a unique man and a true Tiger."

Classmate and friend Brooke Fox remembered Tom as “serene and mischievous, beguiling and modest, dutiful and courageous. I had the good fortune of being close to Tom for a couple of years while struggling through the undergraduate architecture program. While we were both outliers of sorts, it turns out he was on much more solid footing. He did well and kept sailing, even whilst challenging various professional norms and definitions. And he taught me to pour urethane and marvel later at its solid clear liquidity, flecked sometimes on the surface with pixie dust, or churned with bits of stuff frozen inside like occlusions in amber; and as well of the pleasures of sipping Cointreau in the snow on a clear and soundless winter night. He was as kind and gentle a soul as I have known.”

Following college graduation, Tom went to Cambridge University, where he earned an honors diploma in architecture in 1978. In 1977, Tom married Dr. Marcella O'Connor in Dublin, Ireland. Then they moved to the United States, settling in Texas, where together they raised six children until the marriage ended in divorce.

Tom began his academic career teaching architectural and urban design at Texas A&M University from 1980 to 1985. In 1985, he accepted a position at the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, becoming a professor of architecture and director of graduate studies. Over the next 30 years, he taught thousands of undergraduate and graduate students.

Deeply impacted by the coastal damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina, Tom’s subsequent land-use-planning research focused on preserving the coastlines along Texas and Louisiana. In 2014, he was honored as the American Institute of Architects  of Houston’s “Educator of the Year.” He was a member of the board of directors of the American Institute of Architects and chair of the Architecture and Design Review of Houston. Ever the artist, an exhibition of “The Drawings of Thomas Colbert” was displayed from May through August 2015 at the Architecture Center of Houston.

Princeton Reunions were events Tom loved to attend. Betsy Haas said, “Buddy Haas and I were on the same Reunions-bound flight with Tom from Houston several times over the years. We were very aware of Tom’s standing as a prominent figure in Houston’s vibrant arts and academic circles. We took special notice of his 2007 lecture on the effect of prison architecture -Tom will definitely be missed here in Houston.”

The Houston Chronicle published an obituary with additional information:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary-print.aspx?n=thomas-matthew-colbert&pid=175564039.

The class extends deepest sympathy to the mother of his children, Marcella Colbert; his sons Michael, Thomas, and William; daughters Marcella Burke, Rosemary Jordan, and Emma C. Tramuto; his siblings; and seven grandchildren.

Tom will be remembered May 28, 2016, at 10 a.m. during our 40th Reunion Memorial Service.