Bio:

Duane Conner was born in OKC in 1921, but because his father, Will, was a teacher and principal in rural school districts, the family moved around the state often in his childhood.  The Conner family finally settled in Stillwater when Will took a job with the university as an extension cooperative coordinator.  Duane graduated from Stillwater High School and was nearing graduation from OSU when World War II broke out.  He was classified 4F but was soon recruited to work as a design engineer for the top secret Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, TN, where he and his young family remained for the duration of the war.  After the end of hostilities, Duane returned to OKC and went to work for Coston & Frankfurt.  It was there that he met up with an old college classmate, Fred Pojezny, and the two decided to form their own firm, Conner & Pojezny.  Soon after they teamed up, the two men found quite a bit of work in OKC’s post-war boom economy and remained busy for years until they decided to go their own ways in the mid-1950s.  After that, Duane set up shop on his own, focusing on “creative progressive design based on advanced technology and construction economics,” according to one article.  He remained in practice until his death in 1979.

Firms:

Conner & Pojezny
R. Duane Conner

Projects:

Conner House, OKC
Hull House, OKC
Glasgow House, Edmond
Mid-Continent News Building, OKC
Y-Chapel of Song, UCO campus, Edmond
Student Union, UCO campus, Edmond
Electri-Living House, OKC
Coley House, OKC
Miskovsky House, OKC
First Christian Church, OKC
First Christian Church, Del City
Frederickson Fieldhouse, OCU campus, OKC

Mod Blog Features:

Celebrating 60 Years: A History of the First Christian Church, Part 1
Celebrating 60 Years: A History of the First Christian Church, Part 2
Celebrating 60 Years: A History of the First Christian Church, Part 3
More Roof Than Walls: The First Christian Church
The Y-Chapel of Song
On the Market: The Iconic First Christian Church
A Look at the Enchanting Hull House