Under the direction of Boyd T. Barnard*, 22 REALTOR® and related housing groups defeated a proposal backed by the President of the United States that would have put the price of all residential real estate under political control. They blocked other Administration measures that threatened to bring centralized control over every phase of home production and would have authorized billions of dollars for socialized housing. REALTORS® also proposed a plan for cushioned rent control. They reiterated that only free production could meet the housing crisis into which millions of returned service men and women were plunged.
Mr. Barnard brought to the NAR presidency extensive experience as a REALTOR® leader, having served as 1939 president of Philadelphia Board of REALTORS®, 1945 president of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers (AIREA) and past chairman of the REALTORS® Washington Committee. He represented AIREA at the 1937 Paris meeting of the International Federation of Surveyors.
Following his presidency, Mr. Barnard continued to be active in organized real estate, serving as president of the Urban Land Institute and the American Society of Real Estate Councelor. He was named "REALTOR® of the Year" by the Philadelphia Board in 1962.
Born in Middletown, IN, Mr. Barnard was a graduate of Swarthmore College. In 1920 he became a partner in the firm of Edgard G. Cross, now Jackson-Cross Co. of Philadelphia. Leading banks, trust companies and legal firms have been his client, including real estate magnate John Wanamaker. Mr. Barnard served as president and chairman of Jackson-Cross until 1970, when he became counselor to the company.
Mr. Barnard's was a chairman of Swarthmore's Board of Managers and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by the college in 1973. A lay leader in the Presbyterian Church, he was a director of the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education and a trustee of the National Presbyterian Foundation and of the Overbrook Presbyterian Church.
An accomplished musician, Mr. Barnard was trustee emeritus of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association and the Academy of Music. In 1964 he established the Boyd and Ruth Barnard Fund for the Advancement of Music at Swarthmore College. The fund provides scholarships for music students and activities at the college. He was fundraising chairman for Swarthmore's Lang Music Building and supervised plans and construction of an addition to Philadelphia's Academy of Music during the 1970s.
Source: Presidents of the National Association of REALTORS®, (Chicago: NAR, 1980).
*Deceased