Surber, Eugene
SURBER, Eugene Lynn
"Gene"
Eugene Lynn "Gene" Surber, son of Kathryn Hunt and Eugene Wicker Surber, and beloved husband of Margaret Ann Sparks Surber, passed away December 12, 2023.
Gene was born May 15, 1938, in Hagerstown, Maryland. His family moved to Atlanta in 1956, from where he entered Tufts University and later Georgia Tech, earning a Bachelor of Science in 1961. Commissioned in the US Navy, he served three years on a carrier, the USS Hornet, then returned to Georgia Tech where he received a degree in Architecture in 1965.
After some time in local design and development companies, he started his own firm, Surber Barber Architects, in 1972. Gene was involved in the naming of Midtown. Henri Jova, an early employer whom Gene considered his mentor, convinced several people to buy houses in that area. They initially called it "Uptown", according to Gene, but the Lenox Square area grabbed that title, so they renamed it "Midtown".
Gene and Margaret Ann met in the late 1970s, as Proof of the Pudding was preparing to open with Margaret Ann as chef. Gene recalled the first time he saw her, "... in her apron almost to the floor and her boaters covered with flour."
Early in their marriage Gene and Margaret Ann bought an old cabin in Cloudland, which was in terrible shape. Neither spouse's mother would enter the building, and Margaret Ann's father suggested facetiously that rather than renovate they should insure it and burn it down. They did not, but it took nearly thirty years to get rid of the last of the kudzu.
Gene was active in professional associations and historic preservation organizations, serving on the boards of the Atlanta Chapter of the AIA, The Georgia Association of the AIA, The Atlanta Preservation Center, Easements Atlanta, The Wren's Nest, The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Board of Advisors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
He was Chairman of the Georgia National Register Review Board, was made a Fellow by the AIA, was awarded the Ivan Allen Award for public service by the Atlanta AIA, and the Keystone Award by the Atlanta Preservation Center. He was given The Mary Gregory Jewett Award for lifetime Achievement and Volunteer of the Year Awards by the Georgia Trust, and made a Trustee Emeritus
His firm has won many design awards from the Georgia Trust, the National Trust, the AIA and the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.
A dedicated bridge player, in his final year Gene enjoyed two of the best bridge hands of his life, making six no trump and seven hearts in separate games. Gene laughed until he died. When he lost the ability to speak, he still seemed to laugh at his predicament.
His many friends where he and Margaret Ann lived at the Carlyle in Buckhead remember his frequent professional contributions to their facility. As they prepared to move to Canterbury Court, the board thanked Gene for the many improvements he designed and implemented, and for providing "a vision we would not have had, and plans we could not have afforded to commission."
He is survived by his wife, Margaret Ann; son, Jim and daughter-in-law, Emily Surber; sisters, Mary (Don) Snitgen and Marcella Pavelka; and her good friend, Karen von Sauers; and many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will be held by the family in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Atlanta Symphony, Trees Atlanta, or your favorite charity.
