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 Community


 Service


 By JOHN STETSON, AIA,
 Presiderr
 F.:.rda A:' ciation of Archtiecrs


 The founders of the College of
Fellows of the American Institute of
Architects, in their infinite wisdom,
set up three categories for admission
to fellowship: Design, Service to the
Institute and Community Service.
Some members have the rather
warped idea that Community Service
means an active life in politics. To
others, the mere thought of an en-
trance into politics is distasteful. To
the profession, and for that matter
to any clear thinking citizen, com-
munity service should mean just what
it says. Service to the community in
which we live can best be given by
a professional in the form of leader-
ship along the paths in which he is
most expert. No one expects the
architect to be a fiscal agent, a trans-
portation expert or an authority on
tax structures. But just in case you
are not aware of it, once the populace
thought he was a planner who put
all the beauty of the surrounding
area ahead of his own personal ambi-
tions.
 Today a few farsighted architects
are carrying the banners of the pro-
fession into a better world to live in
through Community Planning. Some
serve without recompense. Others,
banding together, have stimulated re-
construction programs, revitalizing the
cities in which they live. All who
have so served have been more than
amply repaid for their labors. Those
of us who prefer to sit in our little
cluttered garrets of design not only
become cultural recluses, but too
often economic problems to ourselves
and to our neighbors.
AUGUST, 1959


 No matter whom we hear exhort
the virtues of a good public relations
program, he inevitably mentions com-
munity service. There are hundreds
of public service jobs-non-paying,
naturally-in every town and city,
carried on by public-spirited citizens.
Take a look at fund-raising cam-
paigns, youth programs, beautification
campaigns! How often do you see an
architect among those serving? Un-
fortunately too seldom. Most larger
areas can boast of at least one active
member of the profession doing his
bit; and usually this man is greeted
by sneers from his fellow practition-
ers for his position. To them he is
only seeking free publicity or the
limelight. If he were being paid for
his efforts, then they would consider
him a disgrace to the profession. Just
about every public committee con-
tains the name of a lawyer and a
doctor. Wonder if their professions
feel the same way?
 We are a practicing-professional
part of the largest industry in this
great nation. Repeatedly you have
been told that you should provide the
leadership to improve the standards
of construction, community and area
planning, and in community affairs
as well as in creative design. Too
many of us have stagnated to the ex-
tent that the unqualified appear per-
fectly capable of doing what we can
do-and, furthermore, are doing it
for lower fees and pushing us into
oblivion in those particular fields of
design. Too many of us sit in rapidly
deteriorating cities waiting for some-
one to produce not only the capital,


but everything else to promniite-40n-'
struction programs and thereby create
jobs for us. Why are not we banding
together and leading our fellow citi-
zens into a renaissance of American
cities and towns?
 This year at the American Institute
of Architects national convention,
the work of a group of architects-
a most successful program for crea-
ting a new Kansas City-was recog-
nized by an Award. No doubt this
was gratefully received by these men.
But far more heartwarming to them
must be the physical success of the
program they launched. Memphis,
Philadelphia, Boston and other cities
have seen the success of similar
groups of architects joined together
in community service. Theirs was a
labor of love that produced not only
personal satisfaction for a job well
done, but created a booming build-
ing picture for their home towns and
financial gain for every man con-
nected therewith.
 All of us have seen the time when
we faced the usual small town prob-
lems leading to the defeat of some
worthy (we thought) public enter-
prise. Too often the defeat was
brought about by selfish local inter-
ests, afraid that someone else would
gain from the venture. This will al-
ways exist. Good, sound progress
never hurt any area. Nothing stands
still. Stop progress, and it's like a
wagon moving uphill; there's only one
other way to go-down. Communities
that cease to progress stagnate. Then
they deteriorate. Suburban shopping
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