Barry Thalden

Barry Thalden

barrythalden@sou.edu

Barry Thalden and his wife, Kathryn, moved to Ashland to retire in 2012. Almost immediately, they became immersed in making good things happen in the community.

The Thaldens previously lived in Las Vegas, where Barry was CEO of the architectural firm he founded in 1971 and guided for 43 years. Thalden Boyd Emery Architects, with offices in St. Louis, Tulsa, Phoenix and Las Vegas, specialized in designing large-scale projects, including resorts and casinos, throughout the United States.

Thalden’s nine years of college education included a double degree in architecture and in engineering from the University of Illinois, and a Master’s Degree in planning in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Michigan. He also attended post graduate business courses at St. Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Thalden is a retired member of the American Institute of Architects and had been elected as a “Fellow” in the American Society of Landscape Architects, after serving as its national vice president. He also was appointed by the Governor of Missouri to serve on the first State Board for Landscape Architects.

In addition to architecture, Thalden’s background includes his work as an artist, planner, real estate developer and manager, musician, futurist, author, conference speaker, and philanthropist. His architectural firm has been given numerous awards and honors and his personal accomplishments have been recognized in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World, and he is listed as one of the “2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st-Century” in the third addition of the International Biographical Center’s publication.

Barry and his wife have sponsored numerous projects in the Ashland community including the two largest works of public art, initiating the on-going hanging flower baskets on Main Street, and the botanical signage program on the SOU campus. They helped create the Village at Valley View – a cutting-edge residential memory care center, and most recently sponsored the Thalden Pavilion at the Sustainability Center on the SOU campus.

Thalden has served on the Arts & Education Council of Greater St Louis and the Board of Trustees of the Las Vegas Art Museum, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra.

The Thaldens have three daughters and four grandchildren.