September 2015

Hawkins and Moses, Two Former Institute Board Chairmen Gone

Jasper S. Hawkins, Jr., FAIA, passed away on September 4 in Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 82. Appointed to the Institute’s founding Board of Directors in 1977 by President Gerald Ford, Hawkins was one of the most active charter members. He led efforts to establish direct communications and enhance formal cooperation among the nation’s fire and building officials and worked to coordinate codes and standards; promote cooperative relationships on the local level; nurture professional development; conduct joint fire investigations and foster international cooperation. Hawkins served on the Institute’s Board from 1977 to 1985 and led the Board as chairman from 1981 to 1983. He personally met President Ford years later during a gala event and took the time to share the Institute’s accomplishments with him. Hawkins was awarded the Institute’s Member Award in 1994 for his personal commitment to the goals and objectives of the Institute and his outstanding and valuable contributions to the building community.

Hawkins graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture in 1955 and began his architectural practice in 1958. He settled in Arizona to work on many aspects of Sun City’s master plan, including the Sundome Center for the Performing Arts and the Lakes Club. Hawkins took great pride in being an architect and continued practicing throughout most of his life designing and building a variety of structures, including live performance theaters, planned communities and public buildings. In 1976, He was humbled to become a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). President Ronald Reagan appointed Hawkins to his Commission on Housing; General Services Administrator Administrator Arthur Sampson appointed him to serve as a member for the National Advisory Committee on the Protection of the National Archives and Records Centers; and Secretary of Commerce Juanita Krebs appointed him to the National Fire Academy Founding Board of Regents. Hawkins also served as U.S. Delegate to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Working Party on Building in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to the Institute Board, he volunteered his time as a member of the Board of Trustees of Underwriters Laboratories (UL); the Board of Directors of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA); the NFPA Standards Council; the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Fire Codes – MGM Fire in Nevada; and as chairman of the AIA Codes and Standards Committee and National Codes and Standards Committee. During his final days, Hawkins remained involved with planning issues related to the City of Phoenix. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, four children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Thomas Mills Moses died at the age of 81 on July 21 in Florida. He served as chairman of the Institute’s Board from 1984 to 1986, where he instilled his expertise and advocacy for building codes, administration and city planning. Moses majored in architecture at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and served as city manager for Martinsville, Virginia, and Lake Buena Vista, Florida. He worked for building codes organizations before being recruited by Roy Disney to oversee the life and fire safety for happiest place on earth. In 1969, Moses was named as an administrator for the Reedy Creek Improvement District in Florida, a 40-square-mile independent government entity with the Walt Disney World Resort as its largest landowner. As director of building and safety for Reedy Creek, Moses developed the building code, known as the EPCOT Codes, along with other standards key to the debut of Magic Kingdom in 1971. The EPCOT Codes, designed to make sure that innovative building techniques and safety worked together as the property was developed, have gone on to be adopted by national, regional and state building agencies.

Moses went on to become Reedy Creek’s vice president of administration in 1982. He was a longtime advocate of public safety and served the building industry throughout his career. In addition to his role as chairman of the Institute’s Board of Directors, Moses was past president of the Council of American Building Officials; past president of the Southern Building Code Congress International; and past president of the Building Officials Associations of both Virginia and Florida. He was a trustee of the Fire Protection Research Foundation; a member of the NFPA's Board of Directors; and a member of the UL Board of Trustees and Governing Board. At the time of his death, Moses was the city manager for the City of Bay Lake, Florida, and was serving on the Board of Supervisors for Reedy Creek. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Lee, three daughters, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.