For Benjamin Blair, service to the real estate profession was never separate from the work itself.
For nearly four decades, Blair showed up at the local, state and national levels of the association, lending his time, leadership and institutional knowledge to committees, working groups and policy discussions. His National Association of REALTORS® service record stretched from 1979 through 2018 and included dozens of NAR appointments, including leadership roles on the Legal Action Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee and the Resort Real Estate Committee.
Blair served as NAR treasurer during the years 1989 and 1990. He also served as president of both the Topeka Area Association of REALTORS® and the Kansas Association of REALTORS®, and as NAR regional vice president in 1987.
“He really loved the REALTOR® community, and most of our friends all across the country are from his days in real estate,” says his daughter, Katherine Mulready. “He relished his time in national service with NAR.”
Blair, who had ALS, died May 26 at the age of 86. He leaves behind a legacy of entrepreneurship and service.
Career Spanned Two States
Born in San Francisco, Blair earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a law degree from Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. He founded several companies, including Coldwell Banker Griffith & Blair in Topeka, which he owned for 30 years. It now operates as the commercial division of northeast Kansas brokerage Coldwell Banker American Home. He also led many commercial and residential developments.
“Starting the Coldwell Banker Griffith & Blair brokerage in Topeka made him a household name,” Mulready says. “He worked in residential and commercial in Topeka ... and it really changed everything for him.”
Blair’s commitment to the community matched his devotion to the REALTOR® organization. He was active in volunteer leadership for organizations such as the Topeka Chamber of Commerce, Washburn University and St. Francis Hospital. For many years, he had a second home in Grand Lake, Colo., where he eventually became a full-time resident. Just as in Kansas, he invested resources, expertise and time there.
“He was very proud of the 36-acre community in Grand Lake, Colo. [Shores of Shadow Mountain] that he helped bring to life,” Mulready says.
Dozens of Volunteer Leadership Appointments
Colleagues and family members say Blair’s commitment to the industry was one of the defining throughlines of his life. He served through multiple generations of change in the industry.
His service record reflects involvement in more than 35 committees, councils, forums and working groups over the course of his career. He also served on NAR’s Board of Directors in multiple capacities.
Blair’s term as NAR treasurer coincided with the presidencies of 1989 President Ira Gribin of Encino, Calif., and 1990 President Norm Flynn of Madison, Wis. It was a time that coincided with the invention of the world wide web and several years before the release of the first Palm Pilot, the precursor to today’s smartphones. Much like today, residential real estate pros were focused on affordability, and commercial members were facing tough times as the country worked through the savings and loan crisis.
For his service, Blair received NAR’s Distinguished Service Award in 1997. It’s one of the association’s highest honors and a recognition that was especially meaningful to him, Mulready says. “He very proudly hung his Distinguished Service Award until the end.”
For those who worked alongside Blair, his legacy extends beyond committee appointments or leadership titles. It lives in the relationships he built and the institutional knowledge he passed along thanks to the decades-long, steady presence he maintained inside the profession.
His career reflected a belief that the industry works best when experienced professionals continue to invest in the future of the industry and the people entering it.
Blair’s life also serves as a reminder that service inside the profession often becomes something larger over time. Committee meetings become friendships, and industry advocacy becomes community impact.
