John Chase was a man of firsts.Chase was the first licensed African American architect in the U.S. South. He was also the first Black member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the first Black graduate from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. To recognize Chase and his achievements, the UT Austin School of Architecture library is now named after him. The John S. Chase Architecture and Planning Library was made possible thanks to a generous gift and pledge from Chases son, Tony Chase, and daughter-in-law Dina Al-Sowayel.My father always said, A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives, Tony Chase said in a statement. Our hope is that having my fathers name and story of perseverance and positive change affixed to this library will inspire future generations of students to broaden their awareness of what is possible.A young John Chase (Courtesy UT Austin)The late librarys namesake died in 2012, at age 87. He had graduated from UT Austin in 1952, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court integrated American higher education with its 1950 Sweatt v. Painter decision. It was also at UT Austin where Chase met his wife, Drucie Rucker. Chase earned UT Austins Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992, and later served as President of the UT Alumni Association.In 1952, the year of Chases graduation, he designed the headquarters for the Colored Teachers State Association of Texas. The office he eventually built had addresses in Houston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. He went on to design churches, offices, and homes all over the country with an emphasis on working on in Black communities. Chase also taught at Texas Southern University, where he performed at least 15 renovations, designed 21 buildings, and devised the campuss master plan. Outside of his tenure at UT Austin, Chase help cofound the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Other renovation projects by Chase include Houstons George R. Brown Convention Center and Harris County Astrodome, and many others. He was behind more than 300 buildings and renovations before his retirement.And now, Chases presence will be forever enshrined at his alma mater. Lorraine Haricombe, vice provost and director of UT Libraries, described the renaming as a monumental moment for the university. John Chase was an exceptional UT student and graduate who paved the way for progress and change as one of the Universitys first Black students, UT President Jay Hartzell shared.It is fitting that his name will now grace a special place on our campus and will help provide opportunities for future architects to attend and excel at UT, Hartzell added. We are honored by the close bonds that UT has formed with the Chase family through the years, and we are inspired by their generosityjust as we are also inspired by John Chases story.