Mr. Wayne B. Duddlesten

Wayne B. Duddlesten, age 80, peacefully entered into rest while surrounded by family on Thursday afternoon, the 20th of May 2010. Wayne was born on the 12th of March 1930 in Houston, Texas and lived his entire life as a proud Houstonian. In later life, he spent part of each year in his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where he had many friends and a life he enjoyed. He was preceded in death by his mother, the late Iris M. Clement, and his father and stepmother, the late Loy and Helen Duddlesten.

He is survived by the complete and true love of his life, Karen Arthur Duddlesten; and by his loving and devoted children, Terri Layne Duddlesten, Wayne Duddlesten, Jr. and Jerri Duddlesten Moore, her husband, Jim; grandsons, Parker and Christopher Pinkalla; and step-daughter, Kelly E. Kelsey.

He is additionally survived by numerous cousins, including Mary Tritico Wilson and her daughter, Jordan.

He graduated from Houston’s Austin High School in 1947 and attended the University of Houston and South Texas School of Law.

Early in his business career, Duddlesten founded a large regional advertising agency, Wayne Duddlesten & Associates, which specialized in real estate marketing, and in 1955 formed and operated Tex-Craft Builders, Inc., a general contracting firm that also developed and operated commercial income-producing properties and was listed in Fortune Magazine’s top 200 U.S. construction firms. Tex- Craft was one of the first construction firms in the U.S. to offer broader general contracting “package” services, which included options for design, engineering and financing, as well as construction.

His construction career operated in over 30 states and led to his expanding, and ultimately confining his focus, to developing, owning and operating large scale income-producing properties, including hotels, office buildings, high and low-rise apartments, condominiums and retail centers. He also developed residential and commercial communities.

At the urging of national motel chain Ramada Inns, and as a component of growing his Tex-Craft Builders operation, in 1960, Duddlesten formed the Ramada Development Division as an added profit center in the construction operation, which contracted with Ramada Inns of America to spearhead development of all its franchise-owned motor inns. Not only did his company guide dozens of Ramada Inn franchisees into business, but he ultimately built and owned with partner comedian George Gobel, inns in Mobile, AL; Abilene, TX; Fort Stockton, TX; Fort Worth, TX, Los Angeles, CA; and Houston. Additionally, Duddlesten was one of the first “big box” retail developers in the United States, developing and owning large retail centers in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, anchored by such retailers as Woolworth, Walgreen and others.

In 1966, the Duddlesten Companies were selected by International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) to perform an important feasibility study on a major Sheraton Hotel development ITT was considering in Tunisia, Africa. The Duddlesten organization was also president and managing partner of HTL Land Development corporation in the 1960’s, a joint venture effort between Duddlesten, Humble Oil and refining company (now Exxon), and Lehman Brothers. The scope of its activities covered all states between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains and was designed to expedite Humble Interstate Highway growth while allowing Duddlesten to develop the surplus land for its own account.

During the last 54 years, Duddlesten formed and operated many privately-held corporations and partnerships instrumental in landmark real estate developments, both commercial and residential in many states. One such development in 1967 was a 1,000-room hotel project adjacent to the Astrodome. Duddlesten was selected by the Judge Roy Hofheinz family, then operators of the world-famous Astrodome and owners of the Astroworld Amusement park and Houston Astros, to develop this complex, which at the time was considered the largest hospitality undertaking of its kind in the nation. It became an important reason why Houston began attracting large national conventions, such as the National Association of Home Builders.

Around this same time, Duddlesten was developing thousands of apartments and commercial buildings in Texas and Florida. He was at the forefront in the development of Houston garden condominium projects, including River Oaks Gardens and River Oaks Place. Also, he developed the architecturally award-winning Parc IV and Parc V, Houston’s first successful affordable residential high-rise apartments, located on Montrose Boulevard.

During the 70’s and 80’s, among Duddlesten’s accomplishments included founding and operating the Manor House Inns of America chain, one of the first systems of limited service inns in America. He also developed many large office building projects, which included MetroWest, the twin towers of 50 Briar Hollow and the 600,000 square foot Loop Central Office Park, three multi-story office buildings located in the prestigious Galleria-Loop 610 area of Houston. It was also during this period that he developed the 656-unit Bayou Park apartment project on Memorial Drive on land acquired from St. Thomas High School.

A key component of Duddlesten’s integrated system of companies was Duddlesten Management Corporation, a multi-state property-management and leasing company employed over 1,200 people. It was merged into a national management firm in 1994. As part of the hands-on management approach Duddlesten exemplified, he created the Duddlesten Property Perspective, a quarterly publication that provided comprehensive data regarding economic and real estate market trends, for all major land and development uses, in major Texas cities. The Perspective was used throughout the ‘80’s as a reliable predictor of market activities by national financial institutions as well as other real estate professionals.

It was during the severe real estate crisis of the 1980’s that Duddlesten felt his most cherished success, when he predicted the downturn and repositioned his companies to high liquidity and no debt. He always maintained that his greatest successes came from 1978 through the 1990’s.

Among an impressive array of personal accomplishments included being named “Outstanding Young Man of the Year” by the Houston Chamber of Commerce in 1964 and in 1986 was the recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s Humanitarian Award.

Duddlesten was the control investor in a small group of Houstonians who successfully purchased the NBA San Diego Rockets basketball team and moved the club to Houston. The Houston Rockets initiated their first playing season in Houston in October of 1971. The NBA’s entry into Houston and Texas, as well as establishment of the Summit Arena, can be credited to the effort and insight of Duddlesten’s financial initiative and vision. Houston’s entry into the NBA later brought NBA expansion into Dallas, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City..

In 1989, Duddlesten was appointed by Governor William Clements as Commissioner of the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation and served until 1991. In conjunction with his term as Commissioner, he was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Turnpike Authority. In 1993 Duddlesten received the John Turner Legacy Award for advancements in transportation and mobility in Houston and Harris County from the Greater Houston Partnership.

In 1996, at a time when Duddlesten was making a winning bid to the City of Houston to build a $175 million hotel adjacent to downtown Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, he was profiled as the Unconventional Builder in a front-page article in a major newspaper, which cited him for paving the way for re-development of downtown Houston, which is so vibrant today.

A strong supporter of the Houston community, his impressive record of service in civic, charitable and business-related organizations included his participation as a Board and Executive committee member of the Greater Houston Partnership; a Trustee Emeritus of the University of Houston Foundation; an Advisory Board member of the University of Houston Foundation; an Advisory Board member of the University of Houston System Development Board; a member of the President’s Council of Houston Baptist University; an Advisory Board Member of the Association of Commercial Real Estate; Board member of the National Association of women in Commercial Real Estate; National Trustee of the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine in Denver, CO; a founding member of the Steering Committee and member of the Advisory Board of Passages, a women’s addiction-residential treatment facility; Advisory Board Member of Trees for Houston; Director of “Mission Impossible” for the March of Dimes; Christmas Seal Chairman of the San Jacinto Lung Association; Director of the Houston Lighthouse for the Blind; member of the Park Place Masonic Lodge #1172, Arabia Shrine Temple and the sons of the Republic of Texas; Silver Star supporter of the Houston council on Alcohol and Drugs.

With the establishment of the Duddlesten Foundation in 1981, many charitable, educational and medical organizations were funded. He was among a group of outstanding Houston citizens who provided the important early financial support needed to found Episcopal High School on property formerly owned by Duddlesten in Bellaire. As a founding member of the Houston Apartment Association, Duddlesten was named its 1992 Hall of Fame Honoree and in 1999 Duddlesten received the 1998 Houston Association of Realtors’ Commercial Hall of Fame Award in recognition of his over 45 years of accomplishments in the field of commercial real estate development. Duddlesten was a Trustee of the Texas Apartment Association; on Life Magazine’s Builders’ Marketing Council; a member of the Multi-Family Housing Committee of the National Association of Home Builders; and a frequent speaker at NAHB Multi-Family Housing Conferences, Southwest Builders conference, National Apartment Association conventions and American Hotel-Motel Association conventions.

From 2000 to 2006, Duddlesten was a member of the University of Texas Houston – Health Science Center Development Board, where he served on its Public Affairs Advisory Council; was a Corporate Colleague for the School of Health Information Sciences and was an advisor for the Healing Hearts Campaign in 2002. He was also a founding member of UT-HSC’s Lone Star Legacy Society.

Duddlesten particularly enjoyed mentoring up and coming young businessmen in Houston, particularly those in real estate and development. He regarded them as not only friends but family and coveted each meeting while watching their successes.

He always felt blessed to be surrounded and supported by the special people he employed. His goal was to push everyone to grow and hone their skills with hard work, self-starting initiative, good judgment, honor and character. He said, “always do what you say you’ll do.” He expected the best in each person.

Wayne was a man of kindness, generosity, wisdom, wit and style. He was a listener, which is rare among men who accomplish so much. He was a man of humility and wit. He loved his family and friends. He was a gentle man who thought of others first. When he said, “If I can do anything for you, let me know” he meant it.

While he expected the most of each person, he was patient and supportive. Those who learned from his prodding and coaching came away stronger, wiser, and more capable. Wayne was a man of his word.

He also was always appreciative of his closest staff members, administrative assistant Margie DiPuma (50 years service), Charlene Lorino (30 years service), and Joe Thomas, who worked with him in various capacities for 40 years. His house manager, Kevin McPheeters in California, has his thanks and appreciation, as does his former Houston housekeeper for almost 30 years, Dorris Brooks. The spiritual guidance of John C. Barksdale during this journey has been a blessing to Wayne and the family.

Wayne’s family would like to thank all the doctors, nurses, and technicians with M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, who have assisted him over the last five years, especially Dr. Ashish Kamat and his wife, Dr. Aparna Kamat, and Dr. Randall Millikan, as well as Dr. Sabina Wallach and her staff in La Jolla, California.

Services in Houston are entrusted to Geo. H. Lewis & Sons – The Funeral Directors Since 1936, 713.789.3005, www.geohlewis.com.

Honored to serve as pallbearers are grandsons, Parker and Christopher Pinkalla, son-in-law, Jim Moore, Bob Aspromonte, Gary “Buck” Johnson, Arthur Littell, Dan Arnold, Ed Brooks, David Kantorczyk, and Charles McMahen.

Serving as honorary pallbearers are Richard Cusac, Jim DeGeorge, Dr. Troy Felber, Don Fizer, Irene Franz, Harold Goldstein, Tim Hamilton, Jimmy Hill, Dr. Richard Howe, Bob Jacobs, Dr. Ashish Kamat, Mickey Herskowitz, Jody Hoffer, Joe Thomas, Sharon Katz, Herschel Maltz, Tim Moore, Charles Ofner, Gordon Olch, Dan Quinlan, Jack Rawitscher, Dr. Eugene Smoley, Perrin White, and John Wiegman.

Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share remembrances from five o’clock in the afternoon until eight o’clock in the evening on Tuesday, the 25th of May, in the Grand Foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A celebration of Wayne’s life is to be conducted at two o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 26th of May, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Martin J. Bastian, Senior Associate Rector, is to officiate, with Rev. John C. Barksdale, Executive Director of Pastoral Ministry at Second Baptist Church, assisting.

Immediately following the service, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Bagby Parish Hall.

Prior to the memorial service, the family will have gathered for a private interment at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family suggests charitable donations be directed to the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Urology, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 1373, Houston, TX, 77039; and, kindly notate in the memo or reference field, “Dr. Ashish Kamat’s Research Program.”