Jim. W. Sealy, FAIA, an architect remembered for shaping national building codes and standards, has died at the age of 82. A board member for the National Institute of Building Sciences, Sealy received a number of awards recognizing his work with building codes, including the 1992 William H. May Award from the City of Dallas recognizing his service to those with disabilities; the International Code Council's 2004 Jim the Bobby J. Fowler Award; and the 2011 AIA Dallas Lifetime Achievement Award.
Born in Hutchins, Texas, on July 5, 1937, Sealy received his B.Arch. from the University of Oklahoma in 1965. He began writing codes and standards in 1972 and became a member of the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) Fire and Life Safety Subcommittee in 1976—his first position on a national code committee. Sealy chaired the AIA Building Performance and Regulations Committee Liaison Team at the SBCCI and also held a position on the AIA Codes and Standards Advisory Committee.
Over five decades of work, Sealy helped communities craft safer fire and life safety codes and directed attention to issues of accessibility, becoming the first AIA member to give a national address on the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.
