John C. Brittingham ’79 died on October 9, 2025, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

(The following was provided by Acadia Burial & Cremation Direct in October 28, 2025:)

John C. Brittingham ’79

John Clark Brittingham— “Britt”—was an understated badass. He embraced the challenge of being a David in a world of Goliaths. For the past two-plus years, he fought the effects of neuroinvasive West Nile Virus. A mosquito felled him. Told that “it was unlikely he would walk again,” John accepted the challenge and—against all odds— learned to walk again. The outpouring of love and support from his circle of friends and family, the astonishing commitment of his wife, Heather, and his inextinguishable spirit to kick ass, got John back on his feet. He fought with GRIT, kindness, hope, humor, vulnerability, and LOVE. John remained clear, sharp, wise and deeply focused to the end: he was intent to keep on keeping on.

John slipped away in his sleep, at home in Santa Fe, on 9 October 2025, knowing he was deeply loved.

John was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on 26 March 1957. He was steeped in the landscape of the American West, the high mountains of Colorado and his family’s West Texas ranch, Lambshead. He held a deep conviction of stewardship—the importance in leaving a place better than you found it, and doing so for the greater good. These values from a cattle-ranching family shaped his upbringing.

Growing up in Colorado, John developed a lifelong passion for the outdoors. A natural athlete, John spent countless days in the mountains hiking, backpacking, and skiing with friends. He studied at Kent Denver Country Day School, played competitive lacrosse, and graduated as class valedictorian. John moved to Brunswick, Maine, to attend Bowdoin College, where he formed lifelong friendships, embraced living along the rugged coastline, and earned his BA in 1979.

After graduating from Bowdoin College, John interned with Peter Eisenman at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in 1981 and completed his Master of Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University in 1987. In his early professional years John practiced architecture in Vail, Boston, and New York City.

John felt the urge to return to the West, specifically to New Mexico, where his family had acquired the Park Springs Ranch — the place John considered his spiritual home. John went to work for Antoine Predock, whose main office was in Albuquerque. Antoine was instrumental in changing how John viewed architecture. John considered Antoine a true mentor and friend.

John built a distinguished career as a registered architect, member of AIA and, NCARB, and a Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Montana State University.

Following the birth of his daughter, Whitney, John transitioned from professional practice into academia. This decision was rooted in purpose and love. He dedicated his life to inspiring future leaders in the built environment. He taught at the University of New Mexico, the University of Texas at Austin, and served as a visiting scholar at the University of Arizona. He spent twenty-four years at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.

John directed the graduate program for five years and co-directed the School of Architecture for two years. His most enduring legacy was the creation of graduate-level studios and electives that fostered interdisciplinary collaboration. These innovative programs explored new paradigms of pedagogy, sustainable design, and stewardship. They prepared students for both conventional and unconventional career paths, while advancing faculty research and instilling in all who learned from him the responsibility to contribute, collaborate, and care. John partnered with Yellowstone National Park to devise innovative, nationally-recognized design solutions. With his students, he produced acclaimed projects for The Kohala Center, Grand Canyon National Park, the Chinati Foundation, the community of Woodlawn in Chicago, and Jackson Hole Center for the Arts.

John taught architecture, yes. But what he really taught was curiosity, empathy, and the will to imagine better futures. He taught that collaboration is the foundation of resilience. Stewardship for John was not a slogan; it was practice: what we build—buildings, relationships, ideas—must serve the greater good. John felt that if he did his work well, the next generation would build with more generosity, more courage, and more joy. He trusted the future in their hands.

To those who knew him, Britt was more than an architect. At heart, he was a designer of life. He moved through the world barefoot behind the wheel of his 1966 Chevelle, shifting effortlessly from white t-shirt and 501s to tuxedo. Britt’s laugh was distinctive, energetic, and infectious. His piercing rebel yell marked celebrations. A tireless champion of underdogs, he would—literally— give the shirt off his back. John had the ability to spot hidden potential, and inspire others to find their own greatness.

Britt loved his tribe fiercely. When he was diagnosed with West Nile Virus, his wagon was circled by every person dear to him—a beloved husband, father, friend, professor, and mentor whose influence rippled far beyond architecture.

John was preceded in death by his mother, Penelope Clark Brittingham of Denver, CO; and his father John Matthews Brittingham of Pagosa Springs, CO.

He is survived by his wife, Heather Campbell Brittingham, and his dog, Jonesy, of Santa Fe, NM; his daughter, Whitney and her fiancée, Max, of Seattle, WA; his sister, Nel McGrath and her husband, Bobby, of Steamboat Springs, CO; Jean Brittingham of Pagosa Springs, CO; his mother and father-in-law, Sherry and Tom Campbell of El Dorado Hills, CA; his sister-in-law-, Kerri Campbell of El Dorado Hills, CA; his brother-in-law, Chris Campbell, his wife, Rebekah, and nephew, Brooks, of Bozeman, MT; countless cousins, friends who became family—and generations of students who will carry his lessons forward.

Britt has now stepped away. Yet, at sunset, if you gaze into the Western sky from the top of a mesa, a kind blessing wind will bring you his laugh, the screech of his Chevelle’s tires, and the certainty he is sitting beside you. As simple and clear as it gets, John was a good one.

It is the architect’s obligation, privilege, and challenge to affect the built environment in the most positive way that he/she is able to enrich the specifics of place, people, and culture. The net result is most effective when it is forward-looking reflecting theunderstanding that adjustment, adaptation, and the rendering of beauty are in fact the sign of healthy and vital organism which reveals out indisputable and unique ability to make positive change.

JCB