Weedon Professorship in Asian Architecture-Saunders Match
The William Stone Weedon Professorship in Asian Architecture was made possible by a gift from the Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation, with matching funds provided by the Saunders Family Challenge, created by the family of Thomas A. Saunders, III (Darden '67), to endow faculty professorships in architecture, education and nursing. The late William Stone Weedon (Col '29, Grad '36) was a faculty member in the School of Architecture with noted authority on Asian art and culture, exploring the relationships between Buddhism and Platonism. During his long tenure at the University, Professor Weedon advanced the understanding of East Asian architecture through highly popular courses that imparted both his knowledge and passion for the subject. For his service to the University, he received the Raven Award, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and, in 1976, the Thomas Jefferson Award, the University's highest honor. He was a veteran of World War II and a recipient of the Bronze Star for his work in breaking enemy codes. The professorship supports a recognized leader in the field of architecture, landscape architecture, architectural history, or urban and environmental planning who has a demonstrated commitment to teaching.
In 2011, the School of Architecture named Dr. Shiquio Li as the Weedon Professor in Asian Architecture. Dr. Li received his BA from Tsinghua University in Beijing and his PhD from AA School of Architecture and Birkbeck College at the University of London. His research is focused on understanding emergent conditions in Chinese cities by contextualizing them in traditional discourses of modernity and architecture in their Western and Asian manifestations. Dr. Li gave a candidate lecture at the University on February 28, 2010 entitled, "Another City.