No. 834 John Sugden, 1996

File — Box: 76, Folder: 3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

John Sugden was born in Chicago, Illinois. Sugden’s grandfather was a naturalist in Utah and his father also took an interest in animals and nature in Utah. John often went out to study nature with his father and grandfather. John’s father and Angus Woodbury wrote a book called Birds of Utah. Sugden discusses learning how to ski near Salt Lake City, the types of skis he used and from where he acquired his gear. He describes the many places he skied around Utah and the other people he skied with, including the group of skiers called the Little Conda Club. In the summertime, John and others would rock climb. During World War II he was in aeronautical engineering training and then navigation. He was eventually assigned to the Tenth Mountain Division and was part of the Mountain Training Group, which trained soldiers to climb and survive in the mountains. Sugden was then sent to Italy to fight as part of the 87th Mountain Infantry, clearing mountain territory. John describes in detail several of his experiences of World War II. After the war ended, Sugden was assigned to be a counselor at the Percy Jones General Hospital where he helped soldiers transition from being soldiers to being civilians. After leaving the service, Sugden studied modern architecture with Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois School of Technology. He also worked for van der Rohe during and after his time as a graduate student. John talks about going to school, living in Chicago, and the architectural projects he undertook there with van der Rohe. John describes the architectural projects he undertook when he returned to Utah. He talks about the techniques and materials he used and his philosophy behind the decisions he made as an architect.
Interviewer: Peter Goss and Greg Thompson

Dates

1996

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.