 Armstrong’s father was born in St. Louis (Missouri) and a well-known architect who designed many civil landmarks in St. Louis, such as The Shanley Building at 7800 Maryland Avenue in Clayton.Its design won Armstrong the silver medal at the Paris Exposition of 1937.In 1956, Armstrong graduated from Ladue High School, where one of his classmates was Auggie Busch, a great-grandson of Anheuser-Busch brewing magnate Adolphus Busch.