By: Stephen Condren
Harrington College of Design honored Robert C. Marks with the Frances Harrington Award for outstanding achievement in Education and Interior Design. The event took place in the Grand Hall at Union
Harrington College of Design honored Robert C. Marks with the Frances Harrington Award for outstanding achievement in Education and Interior Design. The event took place in the Grand Hall at Union Station, 210 S. Canal St., Chicago, Illinois. Nelson Sears, Communications Manager at Harrington, orchestrated the event. Never has the Grand Hall looked as good as it has for this special event. The room was resplendent, colored lights were mounted at the base of the Greco/Roman fluted columns that surround the room. The hall was finely appointed with wall decorations, balloons, and an assortment of flowers. A very fine dancing band that played in a manner that was festive yet not overly engaging.
Starting out as a student at the Frances Harrington Institution of Interior Decoration, Robert C. Marks took control of the school in 1959. A man of vision, Mr. Marks expanded the programs and course offerings. Seeing a need for school research, Mr. Marks started what came to be the largest and most replete Interior Design library in the country. Further, he saw to having the school accredited by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and changed the name to The Harrington Institute of Interior Design.
As time passed Mr. Marks developed educational seminars in conjunction with on site tours to architectural destinations for research. They went to cities all over the world visiting famous places that have changed Interior Design. These seminar events along with their enhanced curricula helped established Harrington Institute as the premier school for Interior Design in Chicago and as one of the leading Interior Design schools in the Country.
Mr. Marks saw a need for educational credentials for interior designers so he expanded the school to a college offering a Bachelors Degree. The Institute was renamed the Harrington College of Design as it remains today.
For years Harrington was located in the Fine Arts Building at 410 S. Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. This excellent location enabled Harrington students to take advantage of all the educational and cultural venues that Chicago has to offer.
Along with Mr. Marks, six other individuals were given awards.
For the Excellence in Design Award the following individuals were honored: Lucien Lagrange, Eva Maddox, Stanley Tigerman, and Victor Skrebneski.
For the Design Vision Award the following individuals were honored: Mayor Richard M. Daley and Commissioner Cherilyn Heremb.
Mr. Marks is a patron of the Arts. He is a supporter of Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Opera of New York. Mr. Marks sits on the Boards of leading Chicago cultural institutions and is a moving force in them.
Today Harrington College of Design stands at the forefront of education in Interior Design. Under the helm of President Erik Parks, Harrington College of Design is the world's largest Interior Design school. Harrington College of Design is located at 20 W. Madison, Chicago, IL 60606-3433, (866) 590-4423.
Images of the event can be seen at:
http://stephencondren.com/Links/SocialEvents/HarringtonCollegeOfDesignHonorsRobertCMarks.html
I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago in Hyde Park Township, near the University of Chicago. As I child I was always drawing and painting. My father owned an art supply company, Favor Ruhl & Watson, where I was able to get all that I needed to progress in my work.
I have always enjoyed portraiture and landscape painting. In High School (Naperville Central High School) I took Drafting from Mr. Pierce. I quickly grasped the principles of perspective and drafting and hence made a career with both Fine Art and Architectural Renderings.
In the mid 1970's I joined the US Navy and was stationed on board the USS Midway, CV-41. The Midway was home ported in Yokosuka, Japan (A suburb of Tokyo). While in service I traveled all over Asia including such countries as Korea, China, Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, Hong Kong, and Japan. While in Japan I learned Japanese. I speak German and Spanish as well.
