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David A. Braden
Mr. Braden, a former cadet and aeronautical engineering student at North Texas Agricultural College, is honored for his service to his country, his community and for his professional achievements during a long and illustrious civilian career. He attended NTAC in 1941 and 1942 and was president of the Sophomore Class. He commanded Company C as a Cadet Captain and was a Cadet Major and acting Cadet Colonel when called to active duty in 1943. Other campus activities included Davis Hall D Ramp manager and the presidency of the Kampus Kadet Klub. During WWII Mr. Braden served with the 870th Bomb Squadron, 479th Bomb Group of the 20th Air Force as a B-29 Superfortress navigator/ radar bombardier. On the return flight of his third mission over Tokyo, his aircraft, heavily damaged by enemy fire, was forced to ditch in the Pacific Ocean. Rescued by the Navy, he went on to become lead navigator and flew a total of 35 missions from the island of Saipan to the Japanese homeland; a 3000 mile over-water flight.
After the war, Mr. Braden resumed academic study at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 1949. He is the former president and principal architect of the Dallas architecture firm Dahl Braden PTM, Inc. For many years he also pursued a career as a writer, speaker, and humorist. He is currently active as a construction arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitrator Association and as a Director of the 20th Air Force Association. Civic activities have played an important part in Mr. Braden’s life. They include service as chairman of the DFW International Airport Board; as director of the State Fair of Texas and the Dallas Chamber of Commerce; membership roles in the Dallas Urban Design Task Force, the Dallas Citizens Council, and the North Texas Council of Governments Executive Board; and as president of the Greater Dallas Planning Council and Dallas Citizens Charter Association.
Professional associations include the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, and the presidency of both AIA/Dallas and the Texas Society of Architects. He is a life member of the School of Architectural Advisory Council of UT Austin and a member of the Visiting Council, School of Architecture and Environmental Design of UT Arlington.
Mr. Braden’s military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart and a Presidential Unit Citation. He is an Eagle Scout and has received the George Washington Honor Medal for Public Address presented by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge Pennsylvania. Additionally he has been presented with the Brotherhood Award by the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Llewelyn Pitts Award by the Texas Society of Architects, and the President’s Gold Medal of the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of UTA.
A native of Dallas, Mr. Braden is married to the former Sara Deering of Arlington. The parents of three daughters; they have eight grandchildren. Mr. Braden’s performance while a cadet at NTAC and with the United States Air Force, his achievements in service to his country and his community, as well as his service to the University, have brought great credit and recognition upon himself and to the University of Texas at Arlington.