Douglas Paul Luna

Douglas Luna was born in Yonkers, NY, in 1939 to pilot and World War II/Korean War hero, Henry “Chick” Luna and Virginia Luna. When he and his younger sister, Jane, were still young, his family moved to the San Francisco area.

Following college at UC-Berkeley, Doug was commissioned into the US Navy and served on the USS Ranger, an aircraft carrier. Following discharge, Doug worked for Wells Fargo Bank in California and earned his MBA. He eventually worked in the international banking section and oversaw loans to foreign governments.

Now in his 30s, Doug felt pulled to change course. He was admitted to the School of Architecture at the University of Hawaii. Upon completion of his degree, he went to work for Architects Hawaii. He was active in the State Democratic Party; he ran in a Party primary election for a seat in the State House of Representatives. He spent a total of about 25 years in Honolulu before moving back to the mainland.

He worked to establish a private practice in California until hearing that the Department of Defense (DoD) was looking for architects. He served as a DoD civilian for a number of years around his beloved Pacific, including Yokota Air Base, Japan, before being transferred to Scott Air Force Base, near St Louis, in Illinois. His final position mostly entailed determining whether buildings on DoD sites had historical significance.

Doug became and remained a steadfast benefactor of the Smithsonian Institution, particularly the National Air and Space Museum. Following retirement from the DoD, Doug did some private architectural work where he continued to live in Belleville, Illinois, and coordinated care for his mom who lived to the age of 107 in the family home near San Francisco. Doug also worked to complete architectural plans to build his dream house in Hawaii based on his love of Japanese style and design. He passed away in Honolulu in October 2022 while working to finalize those plans, having just purchased land high above the community of Pupukea on the North Shore of Oahu with a vista that stretched east along a stunning section of Pacific shoreline.

Doug was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on April 4, 2024. He is survived by cousins, close friends, those who benefited from his architectural designs and preservation efforts, and all those who will continue to benefit from the National Air and Space Museum.