Kenneth Huntley Fowler

Ken Fowler departed this life on July 14th, 2025, with finality, if reluctantly. Ken’s life was one of serendipity and whimsy. He maintained a bemused attitude toward life and often allowed events to unfold then adapt to them. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Marie Fowler, and is immediately survived by his beloved wife, Carol; and his son, Evan (from his previous marriage). He is also survived by his brother Mark Fowler, and his wife JoAnn and their sons Cole and Nicholas, as well as numerous relatives scattered around the country. Ken was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and raised in New Orleans.

Educationally, he attended Louisiana State University, earning Bachelor degrees in Zoology (1970) and Landscape Architecture (1975). He also received a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley (1979). Ken was commissioned as an Army officer upon his first graduation from LSU and after receiving armor branch training at Fort Knox, served in the US Army Reserves/Individual Ready Reserve; he received an Honorable Discharge in 1978.

Occupationally, over the course of his life, Ken was a laborer, roustabout, roughneck, truck driver, crew boat driver, Army officer, ice cream scooper, draftsman, 6th grade teacher, landscape architect, teaching associate, and university professor. Ken began his career in landscape architecture with the City of Austin and later worked professionally in Berkeley with the firm of Arbegast Newton & Griffith while attending graduate school. A stint as an assistant professor at the University of Florida followed – including a transformational semester abroad in London - but private practice beckoned. Ken moved to San Antonio in 1982 to take a position with Ford, Powell & Carson Architects & Planners, where he met his future business partners. Ken ultimately became a founding partner and principal (with his two partners, Jim Gray and Pete Hinton) of Rialto Studio, a professional landscape architecture firm established in 1998. Rialto Studio was the culmination of Ken’s career, where he was blessed with significant projects, good clients, and solid partners. Among the works of which he was most proud were projects in San Antonio’s downtown, southern Nevada, the TAMU System, and multiple efforts at the San Antonio Zoo. Ken retired from Rialto in 2014.

Professionally, Ken was very active in the American Society of Landscape Architects, serving it in a variety of ways, including as President of the Texas Chapter ASLA. He initiated what has become known as the AIA/ASLA Scholarship Golf Classic, an annual golf tournament to raise money for student scholarships, one of his fondest achievements. Ken also proudly supported his profession through his involvement in the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board, visiting at least 17 different universities over a 15-year span.

Personally, Ken believed in the value and dignity of work and the joy of play. He enjoyed reading, writing, gardening, beer, and sports. He appreciated, and practiced, humor and irony. Golf became his main passion, and if sometimes his enthusiasm for the game surpassed his skill at it, playing it was nonetheless the point. After retirement Ken’s golf game began to see sharp improvement, a testament to the investment of time. Among his significant joys was sharing rounds of golf with his son, Evan, in whom he hoped to have instilled a lifelong love for the game. Ken enjoyed long walks with his dogs, watching his beloved LSU football team play, and being one of the few people of his acquaintance who followed Formula One Grand Prix racing. To those whom he tortured with accounts of attending or viewing races, he is apologetic, if not completely sincerely so. Ken shared a 27-year marriage to Jana, who blessed him in ways too numerous to mention here. The arrival of their son, Evan, in 1999 completed a joyful domesticity that Ken embraced and wished only that it could have lasted longer. Later in life, he married Carol Huey, Ken’s high school sweetheart, who lovingly survives him. Carol brought comfort, companionship and joy to Ken in his later years.

Very fittingly, A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held at The Quarry Golf Club Ballroom on August 1st at 10am, where Ken loved to spend his retired days. It was Ken’s wish to be cremated and have his ashes distributed in a few of his favorite places.