8 to 5 at 85

LEONARD PARKER

› AGE: 84

› OCCUPATION: Architect with Minneapolis firm B. Aaron Parker and Associates. (He founded his own firm, Leonard Parker and Associates, in 1964.)

› WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT WORKING AT 84 INSTEAD OF 54: “When you get up in years, you lose some of your authenticity—people think you’re weak in the head. When people realize that I’m in my mid-80s, they wonder if they’re taking a risk that I won’t be around to help them, because a construction project can run from three to eight years. It requires a heckuva lot more selling in order to get people interested. Fortunately, my son Aaron is an architect, and he leads the marketing effort.”

› FULL SPEED AHEAD: “Once we have a job, then I’m about the best in the business. You don’t mind my saying that, do you? Because it’s true! I’m able to stay busy legitimately, not because of reputation but because I still have a lot to contribute.”

› WILL I EVER RETIRE?: “Nope. I’m going to be carried out on my drawing board. When you’re in a field of endeavor that requires creative input that leads to satisfying resolutions, how can you get tired of that? Every day is a new day.”

› HIGHLIGHTS OF A LIFE WELL LIVED: “I’ve done a number of buildings at the University of Minnesota campuses—the law school, the psychology building, the Humphrey Institute. We did a U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile, and the State Judicial Center out at the [Minnesota] State Capitol. [My firm] won over 127 design awards in the 40-some years I’ve been practicing.”

› PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE: “Keep busy with work that inspires you and keeps your mind active. Being vitalized by what you do contributes to your well-being, and therefore to your longevity.”

RALPH RAPSON (left, pictured with Parker)

› AGE: 92

› OCCUPATION: Founder of Ralph Rapson & Associates, a Minneapolis architectural firm now run by Ralph’s son Toby, who came on board 25 years ago.                                

› HOURS: “Twenty-four hours a day every day. I’m kidding a little bit, but I work most of the time. I come into the office every day and spend time on my own artwork at night. My life is filled with the art of architecture and the joy of drawing and painting.”

› WORK HISTORY: “I first practiced architecture in Chicago in 1941. In 1954, after teaching at MIT in Boston for eight years, I was hired as head of the University of Minnesota’s School of Architecture.”

› WHY HE’S STILL WORKING: “I love my work. All my life, I’ve split my time between practicing and teaching architecture. With every job, you simply have to be in love with it and want to do the very best you possibly can.”

› WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT WORKING AT 92 INSTEAD OF 52: “When I first started, it was very difficult to convince people to accept modern architecture. As the years have passed, the public has grown more sympathetic to contemporary design. So from that standpoint, it’s probably easier.”

› WILL I EVER RETIRE?: “I hope not. I hope that I am able to stay bright and alert and able to continue. And maybe I’ll just pass away in my sleep some night.”

› HIGHLIGHTS OF A LIFE WELL LIVED: Designer of the original Guthrie Theater, Rapson has won numerous national and local competitions and more than a hundred awards for design excellence. In 1951, he was hired by the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Building Operations agency to design a number of embassies and other government projects in Western Europe.