Cameron Robert James Man

Biography

Born February 25, 1935, Cameron Man obtained a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Manitoba in 1959. While at the School of Architecture, Man served as president of the university’s Society of Architectural Students for the 1958-59 academic year. Man later earned a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley. Man returned to Winnipeg, registered as an architect in 1965 and established an eponymous firm, which not long after became the firm of Man, Taylor, Muret. In 1973, the firm's name again changed to Lombard North Group and established a second office in Calgary. Significant projects by the firm (whose records are housed at the Canadian Architectural Archives at the University of Calgary) include designs for Prince's Island and Court House Park, both in Calgary; Lord Selkirk Park, in Winnipeg; the grounds of the University of Saskatoon; and, Cataracts Territorial Park, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

During the 1970s, Man was also engaged with the Vancouver firm of John Lantzius & Associates (in 1971) as well as the California State Polytechnic College Landscape Architecture Department (in 1972) where he later served as chair. The latter association signals the lifelong interest with education which has in many ways defined Man’s career. This interest took Man to a position with the University of Guelph, School of Landscape Architecture in 1983 and, in 1989, to the landscape architecture department of Mississippi State University. Man is now head of this program, while also working as a lecturer at the Landscape Architecture Department of California Polytechnic State University. Amongst other aspects of his teaching, since at least the early 1980s Man has stressed the importance of sustainable landscapes.

Over his years of work Man has been greatly honoured as both a practitioner and educator. In 1985 he was inducted as an American Society of Landscape Architects Fellow; Man later received the 2006 ASLA Medal during the organisation's annual meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the organisation’s top honour given for a lifetime of contribution to the profession. The architect had also previously served as president of the Society, as well as having been president of the British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects, the Manitoba Association of Landscape Architects and the Landscpe Architecture Foundation. In 2002-2003, Man was president of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA); in 2006 he was additionally recognised as a member of the CELA Academy.