Horst, Terrill and Karst Architects, PA

Changing Lives by: honoring a friend, mentor and accomplished architect by establishing the Gary G. Karst Scholarship for architecture students at K-State.

 

K-State connection: The four current partners at Horst, Terrill and Karst Architects, PA, in Topeka, Mark Franzen, a 1983 graduate of K-State, Smith, ’90, Don Pruitt, ’76, and Keith Blackburn, ’84, established the scholarship to honor Karst, a 1960 graduate.

 

Why they gave: The four current partners of HTK wanted to be sure that the man who had helped shape their architecture careers would be remembered by future generations at K-State.

“We felt we owed it to Gary to make this gift, which represents the passion he had for architecture and design,” Franzen said.

“I told Gary, ‘You have seen all of us [partners] grow from young “wanna-be” architects to who we are today. You have shaped a great deal of the men we are and how we conduct ourselves. You have an ability to lead and teach young men, not only how to be good architects, but more importantly, how to be good people’,” Smith said.

 

Impact: The scholarship will provide financial assistance to students enrolled in the Department of Architecture at K-State. Preference will be given to students who are from a small community and exhibit tremendous leadership qualities, excellent design skills and a passion for architecture.

 

What people are saying: “He [Gary] was so touched by it,” Gary’s wife, Loretta said. “He just couldn’t believe that the four young men who own his firm now were going to do that for him. It made him cry to even talk about it.”