The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) announced Saturday that it was saddened to mark the passing of IFMA Fellow George Graves. As one of IFMA’s founders and its first president, Graves played a vital role in forming the association and advancing the FM profession.
“We all strive to leave this world better off than we found it, and George Graves achieved this more fully than most,” said Tony Keane, CEO and president of IFMA. “George’s legacy is everywhere around us, and while we will miss his influential presence, we will always be inspired by the lasting impression he left on those whose lives he enriched.
“The IFMA family has lost a founding father, and while no one can replace him, we can celebrate his life and accomplishments by continuing to advance the industry to which he was so devoted.”
Born Sept. 13, 1924, in Alfalfa, Louisiana, Graves served in World War II as a canine handler before earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting and going on to work for Texas Eastern Transmission Corp.
In May 1980, Graves hosted a meeting in Houston, Texas, that would lay the groundwork for the National Facility Management Association (NFMA). The meeting produced a constitution, bylaws, temporary offices and national expansion plans for NFMA.
Forty-seven participants, including 25 direct association members, attended NFMA’s first meeting in October 1980. The Houston contingent helped form the association’s first chapter and agreed to host its second annual national conference.
NFMA subsequently changed its name to the International Facility Management Association to reflect its growing Canadian membership.
In 1983, Graves received IFMA’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 1992, he received the association’s highest honour as a member of the first class of IFMA Fellows.
To honour Graves’ contributions to the profession, the IFMA Foundation, working with the Houston Chapter, set up an endowed scholarship in his name.
Graves continued to attend IFMA’s annual World Workplace Conference and Expo after leaving the association, maintaining close ties with its members and staff. He would bring a box of chocolates for everyone at IFMA headquarters on his frequent visits to the office.
Graves leaves behind his wife, Joan Graves, daughters Carolyn Graves and Jane Ellen Graves Voisard, and son Michael Wade Graves.
