Stephen Scott Ferebee Papers
Scope and Contents
The collection includes correspondence, financial plans, and organizational files of Ferebee’s firm Ferebee, Walters and Associates (FWA). Files include developmental plans, papers on principal’s planning retreats, and papers on ownership transition. There are also committee and board minutes and correspondence from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), including nominations to the College of Fellows (CoF). Also included are meeting files from Ferebee’s time as a delegate for the International Union of Architects (UIA). There are correspondence and files from when Ferebee served as president of the North Carolina State University Alumni Association and as a member of the 1981-1982 Chancellor Search Committee. Additionally, there are accreditation reports for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s College of Architecture. Also included are a series of speeches that Ferebee gave during his time in the Army Reserve and speeches about architecture given to local Charlotte groups. There is also a project overview of the Charlotte Community Center, which Ferebee oversaw the construction of. Also included are Ferbee’s architect registration and certificates for various states. There is also a box with Ferebee’s day planners and agendas. Also included are a number of Ferebee’s awards and certificates, with some of them being plaques.
Dates
- Creation: 1953-1995
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Biographical / Historical
Stephen Scott Ferebee, Jr. was born in Detroit on July 30, 1921 to S. Scott Ferebee and Carrie Cheatham Ferebee. In 1925, the family moved to Henderson, North Carolina.
While Ferebee was a student at North Carolina State University (NC State), Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Months later, Ferebee was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry and would go on to serve in the 506th Parachute Infantry and the 101st Airborne Division. Ferebee and his unit were involved in the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. After being wounded in action, Ferebee was evacuated to a hospital in England where he met his future wife, Army nurse Mary Elizabeth Cooper. They married in 1945 and went on to have three children: Scott III, John, and Caroline. After the war, Ferebee remained active in the Army Reserve and rose to the rank of major general. He was awarded numerous military honors including: the Distinguished Service Medal, Purple Heart, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. Ferebee retired from the active Army Reserve in 1976.
Ferebee graduated from NC State in 1948 with a degree in architectural engineering. He began his career in Charlotte with Arthur Gould Odell Jr. in 1951. In 1953, Ferebee partnered with John C. Higgins to create the firm Higgins and Ferebee. Herschel Walters became a name partner in 1958. In 1959, Higgin’s interests were purchased, and the firm became Ferebee and Walters. The firm continued to grow, and in 1987, it became the FWA Group. Ferebee served as chairman, president, and CEO until 1990. He had postponed his retirement to oversee the completion of the Charlotte Convention Center.
Ferebe held many notable positions during his career including: President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) from 1972-1973, Vice President of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce from 1975-1976, NC State Alumni Association President from 1980-1981, and Chancellor of the AIA College of Fellows for 1987. Ferebee was instrumental in supporting the creation of a College of Architecture at UNC Charlotte.
Source: Vosbeck, R. Randall, Tony P. Wrenn, and Andrew Brodie Smith. A Legacy of Leadership: The Presidents of the American Institute of Architects, 1857-2007. Washington, D.C.: American Institute of Architects, 2008. http://www.aia.org/about/history/AIAS077478.
Extent
13 Linear Feet
Abstract
Ferebee founded Ferebee, Walters and Associates in 1958 and built it into a successful multi-state architectural practice headquartered in Charlotte, NC, now known as the FWA Group. He was very active in the American Institute of Architects, serving as President in 1973. This collection includes correspondence and organizational files for Ferebee, Walters and Associates, AIA minutes and agendas, College of Fellows nominations, UNC Charlotte College of Architecture accreditation files, Army Reserve speeches, and various awards and certificates.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following eleven series: Correspondence, Ferebee, Walters and Associates (FWA), American Institute of Architects (AIA), International Union of Architects (UIA), University Involvement, Speeches, Subject Files, Clippings, Assorted, Memorabilia, Awards and Certificates.
Processing Information
Processed by Christine Marolda, student assistant, in 2015.
- Title
- Stephen Scott Ferebee Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscript Collections, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, UNC Charlotte Repository
Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte NC 28223 United States
spec-coll@uncc.edu
