Donald Albrecht

"Renaissance Man" is a term that used to be thrown around rather casually, but in the case of the subject of this work, it's quite justified. Starting as a theater designer, by the time Bel Geddes' career ended he had made his mark on many fields, with the GM's "Futurama" exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair probably representing the man's apogee of public influence. For me though, the most surprising essay comes from Christina Cogdell, dealing with the man's activities as a game designer, basically creating his own version of a game such as "Hearts of Iron;" Bel Geddes might have truly been born ahead of his time even more than it seemed at his death.… (mer)