Milford Wayne Donaldson

Donaldson was born on August 13, 1943, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune to Milford "Don" Donaldson, a U.S. Navy corpsman and Jean Donaldson, a Navy nurse. Immediately after his birth Donaldson's parents were ordered to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The Donaldsons lived in a Quonset hut on base for three years before moving to Oceanside, California, in San Diego County, where Wayne grew up with his younger brother, Robert "Bob" Calvin Donaldson. During his early life Donaldson, a Boy Scout in Troop 739, San Diego-Imperial Council, Oceanside, eventually to become an Eagle Scout. By the middle of the 20th century Milford Wayne Donaldson knew he would be an architect.[2]

After high school, Donaldson earned his Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, in 1967; a Master of Science in Architecture from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and a Master of Arts in Public History and Teaching from the University of San Diego. From 1966 to 1968, he attended undergraduate studies at Uppsala University in Sweden. In 2007, Donaldson received an honorary Master of Architecture from the NewSchool of Architecture and Design in San Diego, which in 1980, he founded with Dick Welsh.[3]

Donaldson's architectural knowledge unites historic building methods and archaic materials with state-of-the-art twenty-first century construction technologies. His architectural specialty is adobe, sod, stone, and earthen structures.

Licensed to practice architecture in California, Nevada and Arizona, Donaldson began his professional career as an associate for the San Diego architectural firm of Robert Mosher and Roy Drew, "Architects Mosher Drew," from 1972 to 1978. He and his former wife and partner Nancy founded their own firm, "Architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA" (Fellow of the American Institute of Architects) in 1978, specializing in historic preservation and renovation and adaptive reuse of existing structures. In 2004, before his appointment as CA SHPO, Donaldson renamed and sold his firm Heritage Architecture & Planning which is still located in San Diego. In 2007, Donaldson began and incorporated a new architectural firm, "Architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA, Inc., A Professional Corporation," which is still an active.[2]

In 1991, the California Council of the American Institute of Architects (CCAIA) acknowledged Donaldson for his statewide leadership in historic preservation and in the interpretation of the State Historical Building Code which allowed the rehabilitation of historic buildings. In 1992, Donaldson was inducted into the AIA College of Fellows. Later, following the 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes and 1994 Northridge earthquake, Donaldson lent his expertise to save historic buildings from unwarranted demolition. His efforts continue today as a "Trainer in Emergency Response" for the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) Service Worker Volunteer Program. Donaldson has also instructed classes in architecture, first at California Polytechnic State University from 1969 to 1970, and later at Southwestern Community College from 1976 to 1984. Donaldson continues to lecture on preservation architecture at various schools, colleges, and universities.

Donaldson served as California's State Historic Preservation Officer from April 2004 until his retirement in September 2012. The first architect to serve as a CA SHPO, Donaldson was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in April 2004. The SHPO serves as chief administrative officer of the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in Sacramento and also as Executive Secretary of the State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC). Meeting four times a year, the SHRC is a nine-member state review board, appointed by the governor, responsible for identifying, registering, and preserving California's cultural heritage.[4]