M.S. in Historic Preservation, University of Pennsylvania; B.A. in Historic Preservation, College of Charleston
Frances Henderson Ford has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Historic Preservation (College of Charleston, 2003; University of Pennsylvania, 2006). She has had a long-standing interest in materials conservation, and in graduate school concentrated in that area, particularly the field of paint and ornamental plaster conservation. She currently works an as independent conservator as well as heading conservation initiatives for Richard Marks Restoration, a nationally known restoration contracting company based in Charleston. In addition to her work focusing on historic interiors, she is much in demand for her skills in cemetery restoration and stone conservation, and has been entrusted with the repair of some of the oldest graves in Charleston.
Frances is an active scholar as well as a practitioner, and has participated in conferences up and down the east coast, as well as internationally, most recently presenting at the 2nd Historic Mortars Conference in Prague, Czech Republic. She has a long-standing interest in the important 19th-century Philadelphia marble mason, John Struthers, and has presented a paper on the Struthers tomb of George Washington at Mount Vernon. She continues to research and document the work of Struthers and his company. She serves as conservation lecturer and laboratory manager for the Clemson/College of Graduate Program in Historic Preservation teaching HP 810 Conservation Lab, HP 811 Advanced Architectural Conservation and HP 819 Investigation, Documentation and Conservation.
Claire Achtyl
Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design, University at Buffalo
I grew up outside of Rochester, New York with two parents that were very much involved in the health care system as Nurse Practitioners.. so I knew exactly what field I did not want to go into. I had a broad range of interests in high school, and it wasn’t until I went to Belgium and France when I was 16 that I figured out I wanted to do something architecture related. I went to University at Buffalo as an Architecture major and it didn’t take long to figure out that I was out of place. My peers had dreams of designing the next skyscraper or museum and I just said, “you see that 150 year old building over there? I want to restore that.” So I switched my major to Environmental Design after a year in Architecture. I loved Urban Planning and getting the broader focus of cities and how they grow and adapt to changing times or why they decline. In Urban Planning, I had the chance to focus on Historic Preservation as a sector of planning in some of my classes. I didn’t have the chance to take a class in Historic Preservation until after I had to make decisions about grad school. I was “that girl” who went up to the professor after class and told her I was going for my Masters in Historic Preservation before I had even started the class. Luckily, it worked out and I was given the chance to go straight from my undergraduate studies to my graduate studies in beautiful Charleston. I had visited Charleston when I was younger and it just stuck with me that I loved this city, so what better place to study than the place that peaked my interest in architecture in the first place!
Alison Dunleavy
Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
I have always loved old things. I grew up in Chicago, Illinois, learning about history and art from my frequent childhood trips to the many museums and theaters in Chicago (the Field Museum is my favorite, I love the way it smells). My first semester at SIU was spent hand drafting in the architecture department where I realized I didn’t want to draw straight lines all day and promptly switched my major to my real love, ceramics. I had always been interested in early renaissance and medieval art, and after my first medieval art history class, I was hooked. I studied for a semester in Florence, Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance, where I was surrounded by all of the things I had seen in my art history books. Walking through the streets of Florence every day forced me to look at remnants of the past and to consider how they influenced the future of the city. It was truly an amazing experience.
After graduation, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. I loved working with my hands and making art, but I was also interested in the scholastic rigors of art history. I took a job as a picture framer at a local art supply/framing store in Chicago where I learned about conservation framing. The combination of the hands on work and the scientific aspect of conservation, along with my experiences in Florence led me to explore historic preservation. My art installations had focused on the way people interact with a space; studying the history of people’s interactions with buildings is an aspect of preservation that fascinates me. I hope to learn much more about the roles that people played in shaping a building’s use while here in Charleston.
Katie Dykens
Bachelor of Arts in Art History – Public Art and Architectural Culture, University of San Diego
I have lived in many places: most recently San Diego, but I have also spent time in Iowa and Michigan. As a high school student and even later in college I had wide-ranging interests, from biology to history to art and literature, but eventually decided on pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Art History with an emphasis in Public Art and Architectural Culture at the University of San Diego. I have had a variety of jobs, ranging from working at the San Diego Natural History Museum to the City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department, where I conducted legislative research and analysis in sustainability issues.
My interests in historic preservation currently focus on vernacular architecture and the intersection between sustainability and preservation, but I hope to learn a great deal in the next two years which may result in an entirely new direction. I love the puzzle-solving aspects of historical research and embrace the idea of being able to connect with other intellectually curious people in my career. My hobbies include sewing from vintage patterns, hiking and maintaining salt-water aquaria, although I had to leave my tank behind when I left San Diego. Living in Charleston is a brand-new experience for me and I am very excited about being able to explore such a historically provocative city.
Frances (Frankie) Pinto
Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
When I was a child we lived many places, traveling for my Dad’s job, but no matter where we were we always taught that we were from South Carolina, Charleston specifically. It’s not a far stretch as my grandfather was born on Anson Street and my dad grew up west of the Ashley. Even when I lived elsewhere I spent every summer in the low country, often working downtown. I wasn’t quite sure what to do after I finished my undergrad, working as an architect seemed like it would wrong Charleston somehow. I almost stumbled into Historic Preservation by accident. My brother tells people that “old stuff’ makes me happy. So why not study “old stuff” in a place I love? I am jealously protective of my Charleston, even with all its faults. My uncle says that once you take that first breath off the salt marshes, Charleston gets in your blood and never lets go; people that are from Charleston never leave and people that aren’t never stay. When not studying I volunteer with a local search and rescue group, I am a “victim” for training search dogs; otherwise I spend as much time as possible on the water; tubing, fishing, and kayaking.
Laura Lee Worrell
Bachelor of Science in Building Construction and Design, Virginia Tech
I grew up in Suffolk, Virginia, in an old farm house that my dad had remodeled in his twenties. I often explored neighboring farm houses and sheds that were left to the elements, curious about who had lived in them, where they had gone, and how they had built the structures. Most of my family vacations growing up consisted of visiting historic places such as Jamestown, Monticello, Charleston, and many more. When I was 16 years old I met a former Clemson/College of Charleston Historic Preservation graduate. That meeting with her was a defining moment for me when I realized I could do this, something I was fiercely passionate and curious about, for a living.
I attended Virginia Tech were I majored in Building Construction and Design and received a minor in Real Estate. I got to help build log cabins, work with amazing construction industry professionals, and learn from talented professors who were experts in various fields. With the knowledge and skills I have obtained from my undergraduate degree, I am ecstatic to begin my next chapter here at Clemson University/College of Charleston MSHP program.