In Memorium

Doris Burton came to the College of Human Environmental Sciences in 1949, where she established the interior design department, and served as its chair and taught until she retired in 1986. While here, she pioneered the establishment of accreditation for interior design programs across the U.S. She chaired the New York-based accrediting agency, the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research, and The University of Alabama was accredited under her leadership in 1980. Her work in academic accreditation led the state of Alabama to become the first in the nation to require and set standards for professional licensure in 1982. 

Burton’s students remember her as a generous mentor, who demanded excellence and instilled in them the importance of service in the organizations that set the standards for excellence in the profession. She remained interested and available to her students long after they graduated, always encouraging them to go further and reach higher in their careers.

Burton died in September 2014. She is remembered with deep appreciation.