September 9, 2022
We were deeply saddened this week to hear of the sudden passing of Whit Petch, Principle of Reich & Petch Architects Inc., and the Lead Museum Architect for our new Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada facility.
Whit was a key leader in the development of our new Museum from the initial Concept and Operating Model Study in 2006 through the detailed design of the building and exhibits and oversight of construction resulting in the opening of our new Museum in May of 2022.
Bruce Emberley, Past Board Chair, recalls first meeting with Whit during initial interviews for the selection of an Architect in 2006 and how the selection team was highly impressed with his down-to-earth approach and his vision of what we could achieve with our project.
“Working with Whit and his Team for over 16 years resulted in much more than a commercial relationship. Whit became part of the “family” and was dedicated to helping us achieve our vision. He led the design team with a professional and collaborative approach to achieving the goals of the project, working to successfully address the challenges of such an extended project timeline. Whit was always excited to meet these challenges and noted to me at our opening how fulfilling it was to have worked to develop a new Museum from start to finish and how proud he was of the accomplishments of his team.”
The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada staff, volunteers, and board express our heartfelt condolences to Whit’s family, co-workers, and friends on his passing. Whit will always have a special place in our Museum. His legacy will live on in the many other museums and exhibits around the world that he’s designed to educate and amaze visitors.
To learn more about Whit’s life and career, view his obituary.
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