Eric John Sauda

Eric John Sauda April 15th,1948 - June 1st, 2025

Eric John Sauda was born in Syracuse, New York.   He was the third of four children, and the only son of John and Georgia Sauda. Eric attended Princeton University and received an AB degree, Major in Architecture in 1970.  Immediately after graduation he worked in architecture offices in Boston, where a mutual friend introduced him to Georgette Margosian whom he loved for over half a century.     

He left Boston to attend graduate school at UCLA. He made it as far as Syracuse before he realized he had forgotten to ask Georgette to go with him. He went back to Boston, and the two of them moved to Los Angeles, marrying in 1973.   Eric graduated from UCLA with a Masters of Architecture from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning in 1975.

After graduate school, Eric and Georgette moved to Baton Rouge, where he accepted a position in the School of Architecture at LSU and taught for two years.  In 1977, he accepted an offer to teach at UNC Charlotte.   They thought the UNCC job would be a short stop on a northward arc, but he loved the job, the department, and his students.  They built a house and started their family.   

At UNC Charlotte Eric served as the Chair of Instruction for the College of Architecture for 6 years, going on to become the founding director of the Digital Arts Center within the College of Arts + Architecture, as well as the founding director of the "Design Computation Dual Masters of Architecture and Computer Science/IT".  Over the years he was very active in directing or participating in the summer study opportunities offered to students in Italy and Rome. These were especially joyful times for him.  He enjoyed being a mentor to young faculty and indeed was drawn to them, appreciating their energy, enthusiasm, and insights.  Eric was at heart a collaborator, always excited about ideas and possibilities, and, as he moved through life, was always drawn to "the big picture".  

Eric was a practicing architect for many years, but his true love was teaching and research.  He published numerous papers and articles, received grants, and attended many conferences on the subject of architecture and the intersection of architecture and computer science.  He is the author of two books, "Architecture in the Age of Human-Computer Interaction" with co-authors A. Karduni and D. Lanclos  and "Social Media and the Contemporary City" with co-authors G.Wessel and A. Karduni.  Reflecting his interest in all the arts, he was the Principal Investigator for "Prepared Music Field" presented at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in 2018.  He retired from UNCC in 2022, after 47 years, as the longest-serving professor in the department. He learned from generations of students, and cared deeply about their accomplishments and their goals.

Eric was loved by his family and friends for his gentle ways, slow smile, funny story-telling, and quick wit. He loved his wife, children, and grandchildren immensely. Known lovingly by his grandchildren as “Big E”, Eric was always the first to want to be "in charge" for the day, to volunteer to play the games his grandchildren created, to take them for frozen yogurt, or for a ride in his beloved convertible sports car. Eric will be deeply missed by all who knew him. 

He passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on a Sunday morning at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC, surrounded by family.  Preceded in death by his parents, he leaves behind his wife of nearly 52 years, Georgette Sauda.  Also surviving are his children, Evan Sauda and wife Jenny and Lauren Jones and husband Mac, as well as 4 grandchildren: Amelia and Owen Sauda, Mary Mac and Louise Jones. He is also survived by all three of his sisters, Katie Jahosky, Sue Knauf, and Jean Bovill, as well as brother-in-law Carl Bovill. 

A celebration of Eric 's life will be held at Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church on Monday, June 16th at 2:00 p.m. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception in the fellowship hall immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any of the SoA (School of Architecture) scholarships at UNC Charlotte including SoA Digital Design Scholarship, SoA Rome Semester Abroad Scholarship, SoA Summer Study Abroad Scholarship, etc.