Leo F Borns Jr. AIA

Leo was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1931 to Leo F. Borns, Sr. and Mary Agnes Burle. He attended St. Mary & Joseph’s Elementary School, Cleveland High School, and Harris Teachers College, before enlisting in the Naval Air Training Command in Pensacola, Florida in 1953.

Upon completion of basic training in Pensacola and advanced training in Corpus Christi and Kingsville Texas, Leo earned his wings of gold as a Naval Aviator, commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and assigned duty in the Squadron VAW-11 at North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, California, where he flew AD Skyraiders, a propeller driven dive bomber.

In 1956-57, Leo was assigned to the Aircraft Carrier USS Bon Homme Richard as it set off for a far east cruise. During this time Leo logged in a total of 112 carrier landings. While at sea, the Korean War restarted and the carrier stood vigil at the site of the altercation until the threat subsided.

Leo F. Borns, then Lt.j.g., married Mary Susan Easley of Palos Verdes Estates, California, on June 30, 1957. Six months later Leo departed the Navy, returned to college and received a degree in architecture, June, 1962, from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. During his senior year Leo won a design competition, sponsored by the Paleontology Department of the University of California Berkeley, to create a visitors’ center for Ichthyosaur State Park in Gabbs, Nevada. Mr. and Mrs. Borns moved to Las Vegas, NV, so that Leo could oversee the construction of his design. Unfortunately the design did not come to fruition. Nevertheless, Sue and Leo decided to remain in Las Vegas.

Leo enjoyed a successful and satisfying architecture career, spanning 44 years, beginning in 1966, retiring in 2010. Leo provided many architectural designs to the Clark County School District, numerous office buildings, such as the Silver State Building for Silver State Disposal Service, as well as designing law offices for Beckley, Singleton, DeLanoy, Jemison & List. The last building he designed was the Oquendo Center, a 70,000 square foot medical building for the National Veterinary Association.

Leo was a member of the following organizations: American Institute of Architects, Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas, Southern Nevada Executives Council, Advisory and Lifetime Member of the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army, Desert Inn Country Club. Other memberships included: Executive & Advisory Board of Boy Scouts of America (Boulder Dam Area Council), Accreditation Committee Chairman Greater Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, City of Las Vegas 2000 and beyond, Clark County School District Comprehensive Master Plan, University of Nevada Las Vegas Master Planning Committee, Charter Member & Board of Trustees of the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum.

Leo was one of the founders/builders of the Kiwanis Water Conservation Park and was key in developing the park into the Las Vegas Valley Water District Desert Demonstrations Gardens, which is known today as the Springs Preserve (where recognition of the Las Vegas Kiwanis Club is evidenced with the presence of the Kiwanis Plaza and Dioramas).

Leo, and his wife Sue, have been faithful members of Grace Presbyterian Church (formerly known as First Presbyterian Church) since 1962, where Leo had served as a Deacon and Elder.

Receiving awards for his work, Leo’s architecture creations have been featured in numerous publications such as Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, A.I.A. Journal, Architecture Plus, and U.S. News and World Report. Additionally, Leo was featured in Manufacture publications Libby Owens Ford, U.S. Steel, National Masonry Institute, Exon Solar Spectrum, and NASA Solar. Local publications include Perspective, Las Vegas Perspective (the N.D.A. Publication), and R.J. Nevadan.

Leo F. Borns is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Sue Borns, daughter Pamela Thomas (Jon) of Virginia, son Michael Borns of Escondido, CA, and Cathleen Borns of Las Vegas, NV.

Funeral service will be at Grace Presbyterial Church, 5885 Durango Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, 89113 on Saturday, April 11th. Leo will be laid to rest in the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, NV.

Outtakes

It was a multi-thin shell concrete dome structure that spanned over and covered the three sites of the fossilized bones of this 60 foot long prehistoric reptile (fish-lizard). It was never built…too expensive, I guess! Several years later the State of Nevada built an A-frame wooden structure to cover one of the fossil quarries, and that is the way it is to this day….Too bad!

Leo enjoyed his architecture practice, and he and Sue enjoyed all the years they lived in Las Vegas.

(now overseen by the Las Vegas Valley Water District),