Philip H. Lewis Jr.

Philip Howard Lewis Jr. (September 4, 1925 – July 2, 2017) was an emeritus professor of landscape architecture who promoted the "environmental corridor" concept. He taught for more than 40 years at the University of Illinois (1953–1963) and the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1964–1994). Charles Little, author of Greenways for America, describes Lewis as the "...most inventive (and occasionally controversial) figure in regional landscape planning theory in the country".

Early years Lewis was born in Robinson, Illinois (20 miles from his hometown of Lawrenceville, Illinois), United States, on September 4, 1925. His father, Philip Howard Lewis Sr. (1890–1971), was an attorney who was a county judge and a state's attorney (1924–1930). His mother, Florence Sutfin Lewis (1900–1998), was a homemaker who worked at the First National Bank in Lawrenceville, Illinois. He had a younger sister, Gretchen.

Lewis was awarded a Charles Eliot Traveling Fellowship in Landscape Architecture for his work on the Everglades. He taught City Planning Research with visiting professor Patrick Horsbrugh in the spring of 1957. Horsbrugh and Lewis became lifelong friends and colleagues.

Lewis was the director of the Recreation and Open Space Study of Illinois from 1958 to 1961.

Lewis became the founder and director of the Environmental Awareness Center, part of the School of Natural Resources and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Lewis had joint appointments with the Department of Landscape Architecture, Department of Urban & Regional Planning, and the University of Wisconsin–Extension. Lewis also served as chair of the UW Landscape Architecture Department from 1964 to 1972 and taught undergraduate and graduate design courses. Shortly before his retirement in 1995 he served as the Jens Jensen Professor of Landscape Architecture. The Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) presented Lewis with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.

Lewis, along with Ian McHarg and Angus Hills, are credited with the development of the natural resource inventory approach and map overlays as a crucial part of the design process.

Lewis celebrated his retirement from the University of Wisconsin at a banquet on April 22, 1995. - This study inventoried water, wetland, and steep topography resources, noting that these resource patterns could be used to guide regional planning and design. Wabash River Valley Study (1958) - Lewis employed an interdisciplinary planning team of graduate students from the University of Illinois, Purdue University, and Indiana University to take inventorying and design to a larger scale. Study of recreation and open space in Illinois, Department of City Planning and Landscape Architecture and the Bureau of Community Planning, University of Illinois (1961) - This study aimed at identifying environmental corridors and landscape personalities through the inventory and mapping of natural resources.

Later life After the death of his wife, Lewis lived at Middleton Glen in the new-urban planned community of Middleton Hills. This traditional neighborhood in the City of Middleton, Wisconsin was developed by his long-time friend Marshall Erdman. A street in Middleton Hills is named after Lewis. Lewis resided at Waunakee Manor, Waunakee, Wisconsin, before he died on July 2, 2017. The title recognizes the work of Lewis and his wife, Elizabeth (Libby), who served for 26 years on the Dane County Parks Commission.

The Lewis family helped establish the Friends of Dane County Parks Endowment, managed by the Madison Community Foundation. The fund supports activities involving education, interpretation and volunteerism within parks and the promotion of the E-Way concept.

Awards and recognition American Society of Landscape Architects, Honors & Awards. American Society of Landscape Architects Medal, 1987 Wisconsin Idea Award, Center for Resource Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison, (1993). Distinguished Service Award, Capital Community Citizens, 1997 Esri Lifetime Achievement Award, 2000, presented by Jack Dangermond Conservation/Environment Award, Kiwanis Club of Downtown, Madison, Wisconsin, 2001 Bolz Lifetime Stewardship Award, Natural Heritage Land Trust, 2004 Ten of the Best Award, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, 2006 First recipient of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources/SEWRPC Environmental Corridor Ovation Award 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award, ASLA Wisconsin Chapter, 2009 Inaugural Bringing Bioneers to Wisconsin Award, Sustain Dane & the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute, 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award, Keeping Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, 2013 Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, 2014