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Tangye, Ruma Inducted Into Housing Hall of Fame
For their lasting contributions to the nation’s housing industry, the late William Tangye, the former chief executive officer of the International Code Council (ICC), and Charles Ruma, a builder from Columbus, Ohio, and president of NAHB in 1999, were inducted last month into the National Housing Hall of Fame during NAHB’s spring board meeting in Washington, D.C.
“Housing as the foundation for family, community and democracy is the unifying theme of all that these dedicated individuals have attempted and accomplished,” James Fischer, Jr., 2005 chairman of the National Housing Center Board of Governors and a past president of NAHB, said at the 29th annual induction ceremony. “Their efforts demonstrate our industry’s resolve to meet the challenge of providing the best possible housing for all Americans.”
Fischer was accompanied by NAHB President Dave Wilson in bestowing the association’s highest honor in recognition of individual achievement in the housing industry.
Throughout his career, Tangye made significant contributions to the advancement of building safety and the code enforcement profession. Tangye worked at the Los Angeles County Flood Control District before becoming the director of field engineering at the BOCA International. In 1975, he was hired by the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) as the director of engineering services and chief engineer, and after only seven years he became its chief executive officer. Tangye’s vision and commitment resulted in dramatic growth for the relatively small organization.
Through his leadership at SBCCI, Tangye advanced the building safety and code enforcement profession. In 1993, Tangye and the leaders of BOCA International and the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) embarked on an effort that would result in the nation’s first fully coordinated set of building codes and standards and the eventual merger of the three public safety organizations into the International Code Council.
From the organization’s inception in 1994, Tangye worked closely with NAHB and its affiliates to cultivate cooperation between code officials and home builders in South Carolina and many other states. In April 2004, the Tennessee Building Officials Association closed their convention with a dedication ceremony for the William J. Tangye Codes Prop House on the campus of the new Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy in Bedford County.
In 2001, the International Code Council Board of Directors appointed Tangye as its first chief executive officer.
As president of NAHB, Ruma was affectionately known as “The Bull” for his tenacity in identifying and tackling tough issues for the housing industry. He was a founding father of the NAHB Environmental Committee, was instrumental in creating the National Green Building Conference and launched the National Center for Housing and the Environment.
Ruma chaired the Fannie Mae Advisory Council and served on the board of directors of both the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati and the National Housing Endowment. He also closed landmark negotiations with Homestore in 1998, which led to the creation of HomeBuilder.com, NAHB’s official new homes site on the Internet.
During his term as NAHB president, Ruma played a major role in developing the federation’s inaugural Smart Growth policy statement. The effort culminated in the “Building Homes in America’s Cities” initiative, whose mission to build one million homes in the nation’s cities and close-in suburbs over 10 years was endorsed by the White House in a historic press conference with Vice President Al Gore at the National Housing Center.
Ruma also presided over a 50th anniversary celebration of the landmark Housing Act of 1949, which brought the country’s top housing policymakers to a grand ceremony at the National Building Museum to mark the industry’s achievement in pursuit of the goal “of a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.”
In real estate development for more than 35 years, Ruma is president and CEO of Virginia Homes, one of the largest home building and land development companies in central Ohio. His company has built more than 15,000 homes; has built, owned and managed several multifamily properties and retail centers; and has developed 42 residential subdivisions — including three golf course communities — and developed a 345-acre multi-use commercial park.
Photos by Herman Farrer
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