Tributes flow for AIANYS president, Terrance O'Neal.

Terrance O'Neal, principal of the Manhattan-based firm Terrence O'Neal Architect LLC and president of the American Institute of Architects New York State, has been honored by her peers in his home state.

The AIAToledo, represented by chapter president Paul R. Sullivan Jr., AIA, granted the Ohio native son a special citation for Service and Leadership to the Profession at a reception held in his honor at the Toledo Hilton.

The citation commended O'Neal noting "through his efforts and guidance the profession has benefited and grown."

The tribute was part of a ceremonial tribute presented by a diverse group of over 30 public officials, educators and other leading representatives from throughout the state.

O'Neal is the first African American to be elected president of the American Institute of Architects New York State (AIANYS). The Cleveland-born architect lived, studied and worked in Toledo throughout his youth and early adulthood.

Steven Fong, Ph.D., dean of the College of Architecture from Kent State University, praised the KSU graduate's commitment to involving architects in public policy saying, "We teach that architects should be committed leaders in their communities. Terrence has accomplished that. He has demonstrated values we have tried to have our students and graduates understand. He has made his alma mater proud."

Among the many other accolades and honors granted were a proclamation from Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner; a citation from the Toledo City Council; a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur; citations issued by the Ohio House of Representatives from the Hon. Edna Brown and the Hon. Mark D. Wagoner, Jr.; a Certificate of Honor from Friends of Lathrop House (a stop on the underground railroad in Toledo); and a certificate from Jack and Jill of America calling O'Neal "an inspiration to African American youth."

TONA, founded by O'Neal in 1993, provides full-service architecture, interior design, project management and planning services for public and private clients. Its major projects include a series of rehabilitations for Covenant House New York; over 40 large-scale multi-housing developments; fit-outs for major corporations including NBC Universal and Prudential Financial; interior work for such healthcare institutions as Memorial Sloan-Kettering; and new construction and renovations for public schools.

The firm's work has been exhibited at City University of New York and was showcased at the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Center for Architecture in New York City.

O'Neal was honored by the U.S. General Services Administration and received a special Architecture as Public Policy Citation from the AIA New York Chapter in June 2006. He has taught at Pratt Institute and the New York Institute of Technology; has served on design juries for Pratt Institute, the New York School of Interior Design, and NY Construction magazine's Best of 2006 Awards, and recently chaired the AIA Maryland 2006 Design Awards Jury.

A mentor and an active member of the National Organization of Minority Architects, O'Neal has been a trustee of the New York Foundation for Architecture as vice president of Public Education overseeing the Learning by Design NY program that brings architecture education to grades K through 12.