- Date Of Birth: November 6, 1927
- Date Of Death: May 12, 2023
- State: New Mexico
Robert G. Mallory, Architect, was born on Sunday, November 6, 1927 to Eugene Mallory and Mary Little Mallory in Mineola, Texas, and died on Friday, May 12, 2023. A practicing architect for more than 70 years, Bob was an icon in Albuquerque and all of New Mexico. At the invitation of a former professor at the University of Texas, Don Stevens, Bob arrived in Albuquerque in 1951 and began his career at Ferguson, Stevens. Soon a partner in what was to become Stevens, Mallory, Pearl, and Campbell, Bob retired in 1993. He and his partners had decided to make room for the up-and-coming associates to become partners in their own right. Renamed SMPC, the firm continues today.
Bob and his partner, George Pearl, worked closely from their days as students at the University of Texas. George had flair and imagination for design; Bob had a rare understanding and perception of the details of a building and how the parts interacted. It was a perfect combination, and the men regarded each other as brothers as well as architectural partners. Stevens, Mallory, Pearl, and Campbell received many awards and accolades, as has SMPC in the subsequent years. Several years after Bob retired from SMPC, he realized that he missed the challenges and rewards of making buildings happen, and was invited by his nephew, Mark Rohde, to join Mark’s firm, RMKM Architecture. He was a key participant at RMKM from 2001 to 2023 (literally a second career), providing specification expertise and quality assurance to virtually every RMKM project until March of 2023, at age 95. The role of architect was one he performed with dedication and integrity until the day he died.
An enthusiastic tomato grower, he sprouted, transferred to bigger pots, and grew over 200 tomato plants in his small greenhouse to share with grateful family and friends. Each night, he went to the greenhouse to “put the kids to bed” by stroking them and encouraging them to grow. On Saturdays, he played opera for them, and the recipients of the plants praised their strength and vitality.
An elegant watercolorist, Bob painted barns that are lovely, as are his moradas, aspen groves and flower gardens.
An avid University of Texas Longhorns Football fan, Bob made sure every game day Saturday was honored in our home.
Bob’s diverse interests also included camping, sailing and fishing with his family and friends. He was particularly fond of Lake City, Colorado, and Lake San Cristobal.
Bob was a gentleman to his core. His three sons have all remarked that they particularly respect the work ethic that he exemplified and passed on to them, as well as his kindness and courtesy. Bob was a patient and loving man with a wry wit.
Bob is survived by his wife, Gloria Griffin Mallory; his former wife, Lois Holt Mallory; three sons, Glenn, Robert, and Jeremy, and their families; and Bob’s loving extended family; his granddaughter, Gabriela Mallory and her husband, Umberto Griotti, and their sons Filippo and Luca; his niece, Mary Mallory; his cousin, Charles Holbrook and wife Mary Ellen, and their families; niece, Karen Talbot Rohde and husband, Mark Rohde, and their sons, Matthew and Luke and Luke’s wife, Otillia; nephew Randy Talbot and wife, Margaret, and their children, Nathan and Nathan’s wife, Elizabeth and their children, Allison, and Casey; niece, Ann Talbot and her wife, Nicki Maguire, and Ann’s children, Sam Brown and his wife Jenn, and their children; Stacy Brown Cavanaugh and her husband Peter Cavanaugh, and their children; and Sally Brown and her twins. Surviving family and friends will certainly provide future generations with many fond recollections of Uncle Bob, the Architect, Tomato Grower, Artist, Fisherman, and Gentleman.
Robert G. Mallory Architecture Scholarship Fund at the University of New Mexico, 700 Lomas NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102 or
Roadrunner Food Bank, 5840 Office B
