Remembering Garth Dunklin

December 3, 1962 – January 14, 2021

NC REALTOR® Garth Dunklin passed away on January 14, 2021. Garth was a friend, mentor and inspiration to many. He contributed so much to NC REALTORS®  and the real estate industry at large. Garth helped form the REALTORS® Commercial Alliance (RCA) group to ensure commercial REALTORS® have a voice. Garth  also chaired the RCA Forms Committee for over 25 years and was a commercial real estate educator for over 20 years. His impact was immense and his warm smile  and expertise will be deeply missed.

“I communicated with Garth regularly about various aspects of NC REALTORS® commercial forms. I also worked with him on a number of special projects over the  years, including such esoteric subjects as NC REALTORS® forms policy and the relationship between the NC Revised Uniform Arbitration Act and the procedures  used by associations of REALTORS® to conduct arbitrations. His intelligence, deep experience, willingness to get involved, good humor and commitment to doing  things well made him a real pleasure to work with. His contribution over many years to NC REALTORS® can’t be overstated. I will miss him very much, both  professionally and personally.”
– Will Martin | NC REALTORS® General Counsel

“I remember many years of sitting around the conference table with Garth and the other commercial forms guys. Garth always made the meetings fun, light and  enjoyable.”
– Monica Huckaby | NC REALTORS® Legal Programs Coordinator

“Garth and I worked well as a team and were great friends for many years. He was precise and exact, and I was more of a headlines gal. He would patiently fix my  bad grammar and mixed font, never complaining. He treated me like a peer but warned me that I might eventually lose my real estate license for UPL (unauthorized  practice of law). He would rant about the proper use of colons and semi-colons when I used a hyphen. He’d just shake his head and smile. We’ll miss that smile, the  twinkle in his eye and his wicked sense of humor. Such a huge loss for so many of us. He left a hole that I doubt will be filled.”
– Cindy Chandler, CCIM, CRE® | CEO of The Chandler Group

“I can’t even describe the impact this has been felt by not only myself, but the entire commercial real estate community. I could always count on Garth to keep those  commercial forms meetings fun. He once asked me to always order cookies when I ordered lunch for the committee, so we could take those back to the conference  room to munch on in the afternoons. He served as a great mentor to me when I first started at NC REALTORS® and was getting my feet wet. He would always stay  late after the meetings to explain everything to me. I never felt rushed or talked down to. I am going to miss his big smile and big laugh most of all.”
– Leigh Morgan | NC REALTORS® Legal Assistant

“I served on the Commercial Forms Committee with Garth for well over a decade. When Garth spoke, you could tell immediately that he was extremely intelligent. He was a true student of life and tried to learn from every encounter. When you spoke with Garth, he gave you his undivided attention, and you knew that he truly cared  what you had to say. Even in the most serious of conversations, Garth always found a way to inject some levity. Garth would leave you more enlightened and with a  smile on your face.”
– F. Spruill Thompson, SIOR | Senior Vice President for Cape Fear Commercial

“The late Pete Chenery introduced me to Garth Dunklin at one of our real estate conferences and suggested to Garth that I be invited to one of the Commercial  Forms Committee meeting to discuss Land and Land disclosures. Garth invited me to the next meeting. After my presentation, he asked me if I would like to be on  the committee. That is when the fun began. I looked forward to being with Garth and some of the brightest commercial agents at our NC REALTORS® conference  table. With this distinguished group, you just felt Garth was the smartest guy in the room. I always admired the way he would never acknowledge that status. His  humility was genuine, even if it couldn’t hide his brilliance.”
– Lou Jewell | Broker/Instructor, ALC