Charles Wilscam, AIA, of RDG Planning & Design, received the Harry F. Cunningham Gold Medal for Architectural Excellence at an AIA Nebraska award ceremony earlier this fall. “The Gold Medal is the highest honor that AIA Nebraska can bestow,” according to the organization, “and is awarded [for] the most distinguished achievement [in or service to] architecture in the state of Nebraska.”

Born in 1928, Wilscam was the son of a mason and at a young age worked with his father as a brick tender. The first in his family to attend college, he earned his bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering in 1951 from the University of Nebraska.
Honored for valor during his service in Korea, Wilscam has been recognized for leadership in and dedication to many organizations and causes, including the Boy Scouts of America, the AIA, Goodwill Industries, the Landmarks Commission, and others. He was the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Nebraska chapter’s volunteer of the year in 2001.
Wilscam founded an architecture firm in 1965 that, through growth and merger, has become RDG Planning & Design, today with offices in Omaha, Chicago, Kansas City, Des Moines, Coralville, Iowa, and Fort Myers, Fla. He has mentored dozens of architects over the years, emphasizing principled service and concern for employees and their families. He and his wife, Beverly, have raised three daughters.
About RDG. RDG Planning & Design offers professional services in architecture, landscape architecture, interior and lighting design, strategic planning, urban and comprehensive planning, and graphic design. RDG and its predecessor companies have been serving clients since 1965. The firm currently has active projects in more than 25 states.