Spectrum - Volume 19 Issue 26 April 3, 1997 - Coleman, Moseley receive Distinguished Service Awards

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Coleman, Moseley receive Distinguished Service Awards

By David Nutter

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 26 - April 3, 1997

For Charlotte, N.C., businessman Mace Coleman, the spirit of Hokie pride runs deep. A successful businessman and an active and committed alumnus, Coleman has been selected to receive the 1997 Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

Like many successful business leaders before him, Mace Coleman is a self-made man. A Lynchburg native, he dropped out of high school to join the Marines. After a three-year tour of duty, he returned home to finish his high-school diploma, and then came to Virginia Tech to earn a business degree. Coleman continued his education with graduate work at the University of Virginia and Harvard.

During his student years, Coleman helped to support himself by selling Fuller brushes. His dynamic personality and take-charge attitude served him well. Thirty years later, the National Account Marketing Association selected him as Marketing Executive of the Year in 1986.

Coleman went to work for National Gypsum in a number of increasingly important roles. His career led him to California for 10 years, where he found time to serve as president of Virginia Tech's Northern Los Angeles Alumni Chapter.

Eventually, National Gypsum moved its headquarters to Charlotte and Coleman, along with some partners, bought Gypsum's Gold Bond wallboard subsidiary. With the buy-out, Coleman became president and chief executive officer of Gold Bond Building Products, serving for 10 years. Not content with his success, he later formed MTC Investments, serving as chairman and president. Retired from day-to-day business activities, Coleman enjoys outdoor pursuits and spending time with his family at a vacation home in Lake Tahoe.

Coleman has long been actively involved in university alumni and fundraising affairs. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association in 1989. A long-standing alumni contact in Charlotte for the Alumni Association, Coleman currently serves as chairman of the Charlotte regional efforts for the Campaign for Virginia Tech.

By Julie Kane

William W. "Bill" Moseley represents the best of the orange and maroon. The Lawrenceville native, who received his bachelor of science degree in building design and construction in 1951, has been an active alumnus promoting Virginia Tech at the local, state and national levels. For his lifelong dedication and support of the university, Moseley has received Virginia Tech's 1997 Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

In 1969, he founded his own architectural/engineering firm, the Moseley Group. Under his leadership, the firm grew to employ more than 60 professional staff members, with billings of nearly $1 billion. President Ronald Reagan honored Moseley in 1983 with Virginia's Small Business Person of the Year Award. He served as president of the Richmond-based firm until 1989, when he assumed the duties of chairman of the board and consultant. Today, the firm is known as the Moseley, Harris, McClintock Group, and Moseley is chairman of the board, emeritus. For the past several years, he has served as president of the Moseley Development Company-a real-estate development firm.

Moseley became involved with the Alumni Association in the mid-1970s when he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Richmond Alumni Association. He later served two terms as chapter president, increasing chapter membership from 300 to 800 alumni. In recent years, he has provided thoughtful guidance and insight as a member of the Advisory Board of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.

His participation with the Alumni Association continued to grow when he was elected to the National Board of Directors in 1982. Rising up through the association's chain of command, Moseley became association president in 1990, serving a two-year term. During this time, he gave significant leadership to the association's transition from an independent private corporation to an important component of the university's structure. Other initiatives included establishing a pro-active Legislative Affairs Committee to help the university to communicate its needs to state and federal legislators. His architecture firm has hired many Virginia Tech graduates and provided internships for students to gain experience in a professional working environment.

In recognition of his contributions to the university, he received the Volunteer Award in 1993 from CASE, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.