Samuel Mockbee

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Samuel "Sambo" Mockbee (born December 23, 1944 in Meridian, Mississippi— died December 30, 2001) was an American architect and a co-founder of the Auburn University Rural Studio program in Hale County, Alabama.

Mockbee's architecural partnership with Coleman Coker was recognized for an ingenious and quirky brand of regionalism. A growing sense of connection with rural places and a respect for the disadvantaged people who inhabit them led Mockbee, along with D. K. Ruth, to found the Rural Studio program at Auburn University which has since been widely acclaimed for introducing students to the social responsibilities of architectural practice and for providing safe, well-constructed and inspirational buildings to the communities of West Alabama. In many cases these buildings, designed and built by students, incorporate novel materials which would otherwise be considered waste.

In 1998, Mockbee was diagnosed with leukemia. After a strong and near miraculous recovery, he went on to accept awards and recognition for his work including the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant, but fell to the disease three years later.

Mockbee was posthumously nominated in 2003 for the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Gold Medal. No Gold Medal was awarded that year, but it was given to Mockbee the following year.

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