Credit where credit's due.

SIR: Re Sutherland Lyall's note on Robert Venturi and PoMo (AR September, p36), I worked for Venturi & Rauch towards the end of the 1960s. (I write this sitting under an RLM lamp rescued from the wreck of Grands Restaurant.) To the extent that the firm had a non-architectural source of inspiration, it was the highly graphic art of that time. The only label I ever then heard applied to Bob's work--both inside and outside the office--was 'Pop'.

The office was small. The designer with whom Bob interacted most closely was Gerod Clark. Gerry, who was also a talented graphic artist, was probably more closely attuned to the art world than was Bob. Gerry was the sole or primary designer of several of the firm's well known early projects, including the Football Hall of Fame or Bill-DING-Board, and he created its most distinctive collage type presentation graphics. (The office's characteristic drawing style, done with ordinary #2 primary school type pencils, was Bob's.)

In those days Bob was scrupulous about fully crediting Gerry--and appropriately crediting everyone in the office. Opening the VSR website I was disappointed to find Gerod Clark's name totally absent, even from the Football Hall of Fame page. He died, tragically, in the early 1970s.

Yours etc

DENNIS J. DE WITT

Brookline, Massachusetts, USA