In summing up his year in office, Tulsa REALTOR® Tom Grant* said his greatest sense of satisfaction "was the overwhelming response and recommitment by all segments of the membership to be of service to the real estate industry."
During Mr. Grant's tenure, the Political Affairs Division of the National Association of REALTORS® was created to enhance and improve the person-to-person contact of members with elected officials. In the legislative arena, Mr. Grant led the battle for a permanent, acceptable solution to the independent contractor controversy, scoring a major lobbying victory for REALTORS®. Likewise, under Mr. Grant, REALTORS® influenced a favorable outcome on the capital gains tax changes.
Educational opportunities for REALTORS® and REALTOR-ASSOCIATES® expanded under Mr. Grant when the REALTORS® National Marketing Institute opened up its residential sales courses to all members rather than merely Institute members. Also, during his term, the first, full-blown tax rebellion -- Proposition 13 -- took place in California prompting him to caution California REALTORS® to closely follow the side effects of the measure. At the same time, he commended them for what he believed was a mandate to legislators to curtail government spending.
Mr. Grant, a second generation REALTOR®, was also a lawyer who was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar in 1950. Cited as REALTOR® of the Year for Oklahoma in 1968, Mr. Grant held numerous executive offices in the REALTOR® organization before becoming president.
The untimely death of Executive Vice President-designate Bill Magel in the summer of Mr. Grant's term, coupled with the retirement of Executive Vice President H. Jackson Pontius, prompted him to initiate a slow, careful search for a capable candidate to fill the important post. The scrupulous process begun under Mr. Grant, culminated under Donald I. Hovde's leadership with the selection of nationally-known economist Dr. Jack Carlson.
The magazines Real Estate Today® and REALTORS Review® were merged in 1978 to produce the foremost magazine in the real estate field. Also, Mr. Grant commissioned the Arthur D. Little Company to undertake a massive, 22-month, in-depth study of the forces that will affect real estate in the future. The study included a 12-month environmental scan, which analyzed market trends, followed by a 10-month working-out of the strategies.
"The ADL study will help us shape the future and take the posture of a proactive rather than reactive organization," Grant explained. "We will be able to make near-term decisions that have long-term benefits for the Association."
Source: Presidents of the National Association of REALTORS®, (Chicago: NAR, 1980).
*Deceased