The GSD remembers Dorothy “Dottie” Trogdon (MArch ’53), who passed away on June 25, 2025, at the age of 99. As one of two women studying architecture in the GSD’s class of 1953, Dottie was a true trailblazer. It was at the GSD that Dottie met her husband of 68 years, Bill Trogdon MArch ’52. Together, they studied under the tutelage of Walter Gropius.
Despite difficulties establishing herself in the architectural profession as a woman in the 1950s, Dottie did not let the roadblocks deter her. With a pivot to interior design, Dottie became a leader in the profession, serving as co-director of Inscape for seven years and on the board of FIDER (The Foundation for Interior Design Research and Education) for ten.
In addition to her full-time career as an interior designer, Dottie was a loving mother, avid chef, and beloved poet. Dottie is survived by her brother, David, three sons, Benjamin, Peter, and Will, her four grandchildren, William, Benjamin, Shea, and McKenna, and three great-grandchildren, Finley, Hayes, and Carter.