A POSTUMOUS TRIBUTE TO ARTHUR FRIEDEL, JR – Nov. ‘09
By Dean A. Biancavilla, AIA, LEED AP, Holmes King Kallquist &
Associates, Architects, Syracuse, NY [email protected]
In passing ….
I learned in September of Arch Friedel’s passing last July and wanted to relate some stories of his
wonderful sense of humor. He had left behind many friends, which showed that his legacy went
beyond his architecture. A memorial service was held Sunday, September 20, 2009, at Saint Paul’s
Episcopal Cathedral in Syracuse and it was appropriately called “A Celebration of the Life of Arthur
Friedel, Jr., March 6, 1923 – July 30, 2009.” Several people told of their wonderful memories of
‘Archie’ including his brother Peter. St. Paul’s was Archie’s church and he assisted over the years
by contributing his knowledge of building construction thru volunteer service on the Building &
Grounds Committee.
I first met Archie when I started working at the architectural firm of Sargent Webster Crenshaw &
Foley in the spring of 1988. One early assignment was to assist Archie with one of the firm’s
important clients - the Central Square Central School District. A regular contact there, whom he
grew to know quite well, was the Asst. Superintendent Michael Shusda in charge of the districts
finances. I too, got to know Michael well in the years that followed and one of the many funny &
strange scenes I witnessed was being in Archie’s office one Friday afternoon when he called
Michael at CSCSD and then I heard Archie give a count of various paper clips on documents on his
desk. I tried to keep a straight face during this hilarious exchange but wasn’t succeeding very well.
Since I wasn’t part of the original joke I asked Michael to recount it for you here:
“The Paper Clip Pulse”
“The paper clip count was Archie's parody on the Supt. of Central Square Central School
District (Paul Besser) who would keep track of student attendance every Friday. Paul used
to say that he had his "finger on the pulse" of the district by keeping track of the
attendance, and Archie shared our skepticism that this routine had any relationship to the
"pulse" of the district. So, every Friday afternoon, Archie would call my secretary Rose
Ostrander and give her his paper clip count. He had small, large, small spring clips, large
spring clips, etc. Archie said that he had his "finger on the pulse" of SWCF.”
Of course I was lucky enough that particular Friday afternoon that Archie had called Michael direct
and not just Rose so the exchange on the speakerphone was priceless. Michael had a couple of other
great stories –
“Archie always used his incisive sense of humor at just the right time. At a Board of
Education meeting in 1987, a Board member was loudly complaining that the heating
system replacement project at an elementary school was not proceeding quickly enough,
and that SWCF was too slow in preparing revisions to the drawings. Archie responded that
"we used to do these things quickly, but now we have a computer.” I cannot count the
number of times over the years that I would shout for all to hear that ‘Archie Friedel was
right!’, whenever I experienced computer problems.”
“Another [story] was the famous ‘2.5 fee multiplier’ that SWCF used to bill the district.
The actual hourly rates of the staff who worked on a project were multiplied by 2.5 to
generate the bill amount. I used to ‘complain’ to Archie about this, but all in good humor.
“One evening, at a Board meeting, the Supt. had us stay after the meeting to listen to a
record that his adult son had recorded. Needless to say, it was not destined to become a hit.
As we left the meeting, Archie said to me ‘This is going to cost you 3.5’. "
One more story in which Michael participated in later years but had its origins back in earlier SWCF
history before I came on board so I asked fellow SWCF alumnus Dick Riley to give you the
beginning of this great joke:
“The Saga of Archie and the Trophy Head
“Over its 41½-year history, Sargent Webster Crenshaw & Foley Architects, Engineers &
Planners was responsible for numerous unique architectural/engineering innovations. As
with any incubator of creativity, it also provided the stage for countless bizarre high jinks,
none more memorable than the saga of “Arch Friedel and the Trophy Head.”
To fully appreciate this tale, one must first understand that Arch Friedel occupied a very
prestigious position within the firm as a principal and highly successful project manager.
He enjoyed the respect of his colleagues and clients alike. His office antics, on the other
hand, are legendary. They are byproducts of an unbridled sense of humor and a fertile
imagination, frequently leaving onlookers confused and frustrated [ or bent over in
laughter].
Managing partner Ed Bruce was a spectator at many of Arch’s classic moments of levity,
occasionally overheard to say, “Someday, I am going to have that man’s head.” Well,
Ed’s tongue-in-cheek remark sparked one of the more enduring sagas in SWC&F history,
a longstanding source of entertainment for staff and clients alike.
As our story begins, Arch and a colleague, Dick Riley, seized upon Ed’s comment and
conspired to create a 3-dimensional likeness of Arch’s head. Fashioned in Styrofoam and
theatrical makeup, it was complete in every detail with Arch’s distinctive beard, glasses,
shirt and necktie. The “head” was affixed to a walnut plaque for wall display, customary
for hunting trophies.
At the appropriate noon hour when Ed was away from his office, a conspirator entered
unseen and affixed the trophy on his suede-covered wall amidst his professional
accomplishments. This new addition would surely be one of Ed’s most prized
achievements, the realization of a longstanding objective.
Upon Ed’s return, words cannot describe his initial state of disbelief, followed by
astonishment, and culminating with uproarious laughter. Given that Ed’s corner office
was glass-enclosed on two sides facing the main drafting room, countless staff witnessed
the proceedings. The true cost of that disruption of office routine and ensuing curiosity
might never be known.
For several years thereafter, the trophy occupied that space on Ed’s wall. He delighted in
displaying it and in recounting its history to his many visitors.
Upon the occasion of Arch’s retirement from Sargent Webster Crenshaw & Foley, Ed
proudly presented the trophy to him at the ceremony conducted at the Onondaga Country
Club. The occasion also marked the cameo appearance of Arch’s look-alike “almost
identical twin”, professing to be the “real architect in the Friedel family.” Arch’s lovely
wife Jeanne was a co-conspirator, facilitating the wardrobe match with the imposter. The
accompanying photograph taken that evening speaks for itself.”
This was not the end of the Saga nor of the Bust of Archie as you might imagine.
When Archie packed up his office belongings after his retirement party in ’89, I was among the
many SWCF staff who had come to wish him well and to say our goodbyes. Because I was named
his successor to become the project architect for the Central Square Central School District, I
thought it would be funny if I took the bust of him [which he had brought back into the office] and
gave it to Michael Shusda as a parting gift. So I convinced Archie to part with it but without telling
him what I had in mind and he was happy to do so. And so I waited months for the right moment.
When it came during a visit to the District, I told Michael that “Archie wanted you to have
something to remember him by,” I then ‘unveiled’ the bust, which I had concealed so that it would
be a surprise. Well Michael howled with laughter and appreciated the humor. I think Michael’s
words went something like ‘I will be the trusted guardian of Archie’s head” and we laughed again at
the symbolism and word play.
Wait ! There’s more ! Michael takes up the story –
“Archie was not aware that I had it [the Trophy head] until I saw him at the dedication of
the new middle school [which Archie and Dean helped design] in Central Square in 1993.
He said that he would "sleep better knowing that his head was in good hands." I kept it
for several years, and when Archie went to work part-time for King & King, I gave it to
Jim King.”
I asked Jim last month what had become of the now famous head and he said that he had indeed
received it from Michael Shusda and that during some event or party at the firm he showed it to the
staff and Archie who was taken completely by surprise. Unfortunately Jim doesn’t remember any
remarks Archie may have made but we can be sure that Archie’s ‘incisive humor’ at seeing this bust
reappear yet again in his career must have generated some great laughs ! Jim says that after that it
sat on a small table in the reception area and received many curious glances & questions from
visitors and that when Archie returned to retirement Jim gave him the “Trophy” to take home.
And so I close this article with a smile and I hope you have one as well in remembrance of Archie
Friedel and as a tribute.
Dick Riley as Archie's twin, Archie himself and the 'Trophy' in Dec. 1989.