Ashford, Jr., Calvin design papers

Biography/Profile

Calvin Ashford, PhD., was born in 1935 in Fairfield, South Carolina. His family moved to Willow Run, Michigan where he grew up. After graduating from high school, Ashford moved to New York City and enrolled in Columbia University to study interior design. Ashford graduated from Columbia University with a degree in interior design at the age of 18. Finding it difficult to secure a job in interior design, Ashford returned to the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical where he earned a doctorate in Microbiology. After assisting one of his professors with some interior design work, Ashford decided to return to his first love interior design. He opened Gilmore-Ashford-Powers Designs in Chicago's Lake Point Tower, where he was the principal designer and the design director until his death in 2008. Ashford won many awards for his interior design work. He was passionate about the profession and his clientele included celebrities like his brother Nick Ashford (Ashford and Simpson), Maya Angelou, Whitney Houston, and Sammy Sosa. Ashford was also committed to assisting African American designers to further the profession. He founded the Black Interior Designers Association and was active in the Organization of Black Designers.