Architect. He was a Colombian-born Peruvian-American architect who was one of the leading architects of the modern era. He was a senior design partner at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) from 1951 to 1989, a period when the firm emerged as one of the most influential forces in Western architecture. Graham personally led the design of Chicago's first two 100-story buildings, the John Hancock Center, completed in 1970, and the Sears Tower, which was renamed the Willis Tower, that opened in 1974. His work also highlights the striking skylines of Hong Kong, London, and Cairo, as well as many other cities across North and South America and around the world. He was regarded by colleagues and competitors alike as one of the leading influences of the "modern era" of architecture. His impact on Chicago architecture carried on the "bold plans and big dreams" mission Daniel Burnham used to rebuild the city at the turn of the 20th Century. He believed that the task of city building should be "wrenched from the grasp of uninspired bureaucracy" and put back into the hands of the architect. Graham's plans for his projects throughout downtown Chicago were all part of a grand plan. In 1990, "Chicago Magazine" characterized his contributions as "defining downtown." The article described the Hancock Center and the Sears Tower as "bookends" protecting the "jewels" he cast in between -- jewels like the Inland Steel Building, Madison Plaza, Three First National Plaza, the Richard J. Daly Center, and the "great arched gates of the Midwest Stock Exchange." The magazine's editors described his work as "a perfect expression of the city's corporate aesthetic." One of Graham's many legacies at SOM was his belief that the design process should be a collaboration. By structuring SOM into multiple-disciplinary studios, he integrated both design and engineering into the earliest stages of project conception. His collaboration with the engineer Fazlur Khan further inspired commitment that every project should embody the poetic connection between architecture and engineering. That helped SOM drive breakthrough innovation in both design and engineering for more than two decades. It also enhanced the firm's formidable reputation for superiority and reliability. Graham led a life of community service and philanthropy. He was president of the Chicago Central Area Committee, a trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a trustee of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. He was also a member of the board of trustees and chairman of the board of overseers of the Graduate School of Fine Arts of the University of Pennsylvania and funded the Bruce J. and Jane J. Graham Professorship in architecture. He was instrumental in helping to bring great art to Chicago's public plazas, including the Henry Moore Sculpture at the University of Chicago and the Miro Sculpture near the Richard J. Daley Center. Valuable maquettes of both sculptures were donated to the Art Institute of Chicago. He was born in the small village of La Cumbre, Colombia, and was of Scottish and Peruvian descent. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and graduated in 1948 from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in architecture. Graham was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. His wife of 34 years, Jane Abend Graham, who passed away in 2004, was his lifelong partner. His wife was an architect in her own right, and she was an important influence on Graham's work and vision.