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Bio:

Bill Halley was born in Mooreland in 1923 and grew up in Edmond.  He graduated from Edmond High School in 1941 then served as a lieutenant in the Transportation Corps during WWII.  After the war, he returned home and moved to Stillwater to attend OSU, where, as an upperclassman, he also taught courses in the School of Architecture before receiving his degree in 1950.  He worked for various firms — C.E. Williams, Parr & Aderhold, and Sorey Hill Sorey — before establishing his own firm in OKC in 1960.  In 1971, Bill became the University Architect and Director of Architectural Services for OSU, where he was “responsible for the initial planning, working drawings, and construction supervision of all building projects on the main OSU campus, as well as all OSU campuses.  Bill was committed to maintaining the Georgian architectural style as a unifying theme for the Stillwater campus,” according to his obituary.  Bill retired from that position in 1986 but continued to work sporadically through the ’90s.

In 1965, Halley merged his firm, Halley Riek & Hester (formed in 1963) with Gene Jones and Associates, founded in 1952.  Now known as JHBR and still thriving today, the firm has “designed over 400 free-standing buildings, 300 building additions, 200 renovations and restorations, and many master planning and feasibility studies,” according to its website.

Like many architects, Bill’s hobbies were varied and included playing golf and bridge, collecting stamps, painting, traveling, and watching OSU sporting events. He also had a passion for music and enjoyed singing in several church choirs. He died in Stillwater in 2008.

Firms:

Halley & Riek
Halley, Riek & Hester
Jones, Halley, Bates & Riek
Halley & Shaw
JHBR

Projects:

Mayfair Baptist Church, OKC
Keso Clinic, OKC
Con-Arc Building, OKC
Stonegate Elementary, OKC
Nuway Laundry, MWC
Lincoln Plaza, OKC

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