In Memoriam: Robert T. Renfro

Robert T. Renfro was born in Jacksonville, Texas on June 30, 1931. He spent his adolescence in Hillsboro, Texas. In 1944, his family moved to his beloved Austin, Texas where he attended Allan Junior High School and Austin High School.  

Bob attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where he majored in Industrial Design and graduated with honors. Realizing that he would be a better architect than industrial designer, Bob applied to Yale and was accepted with one-year advanced standing. He graduated with a Master of Architecture (Summa Cum Laude) in 1968 and was bestowed with the highest award in the School of Architecture, the William Wirt Winchester Travel Fellowship. He used the money to travel to Europe, an experience that later inspired him to establish a similar endowment at UT Austin. 

Architecture became a lifelong passion for Bob. He was privileged to work with many outstanding architects during his career: Victor Lundy, Charles W. Moore, Robert Venturi, O’Neil Ford, and Sinclair Black. Bob had not one, but two, architectural firms in Austin: RIOGroup and Renfro & Steinbomer (where he partnered with Robert Steinbomer).  

Bob arrived at The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture in 1978. At UTSOA, Bob taught design and visual communications at all levels from first year undergraduate through fifth year and graduate. Alongside Lance Tatum, he restructured first year design and visual communications into a more coherent curriculum. During the many semesters of teaching the required Working Drawings course, he was particularly successful in bridging the gap between academic and real-world architectural practice. In addition to teaching, he served as chair of both the Graduate Admissions committee and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. He also designed and installed work for many student exhibitions.  

 Bob was an important member of the UT faculty for almost 20 years, retiring in 1997. A generous supporter of the UT School of Architecture, he established the Robert and Kathryn Renfro Travel Endowment to support student travel experiences earlier this year. 

Bob’s accomplishments are vast – he was a designer for the General Motors 1964-65 World’s Fair Pavilion, worked with many notable architects on distinguished projects, and had a distinguished career as an associate in internationally renowned architectural firms. He self-published the book Kathryn and Robert Renfro Walls of Paintings with his late second wife Kathie Renfro, and Artistic Triumph Amid Darkness, Nancy Renfro’s Remarkable Odyssey 1937-1993 in honor of his late first wife Nancy Renfro.  

Bob was a strong supporter for the Arts in Texas and Mexico and has contributed his time and services to Austin Public Places, Texas Fine Arts Association, Austin Child Guidance Center, Laguna Gloria Art Museum and Earthwatch.  

Bob is survived by his two stepdaughters and their spouses, his four nieces, his grand nieces and nephews, and his step-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his father, Joseph Terry Renfro, his mother, Lala Pauline Nicholson Renfro and his brother, William Charles Renfro, and both of his wives, Nancy Winberg Renfro and Kathryn Bennett Snow Renfro.  

A Funeral Mass will be held in his honor on Friday, November 7 at the St. John Neumann Catholic Church, followed by a reception.  

Memorial gifts can be made to the Robert and Kathryn Renfro Travel Endowment, which will be awarded to at least one architectural student each year to allow them to travel internationally. Mail gifts to the University of Texas at Austin, University Development Office, 1 University Station, A3000, Austin, TX 78712. Please write the full name of the endowment on the memo line of the check.