BOCA, SBOC icon Hank Becker passes away.

By Nick Reiher

At 91, Tom Rettenbacher says his memory can be a bit fuzzy at times. But he is clear on the many memorable events he shared with his longtime friend, Ottmar "Hank" Becker. "He was a terrific guy," said Rettenbacher, former Building Commissioner in Elk Grove Village, Ill., about his friend Becker, retired Country Club Hills, Ill., Village Administrator who passed away in May at age 85. Each was past president of the board of the legacy group Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCA) and instrumental in continuing the important work of the Suburban Building Officials Conference (SBOC). Rettenbacher said Becker was a natural for both BOCA and the SBOC, which was organized in 1946 to deal with development in Chicago suburbs and the lack of codes and standards to regulate design and construction. "The building codes were everything to Hank," he said. "Work had to be done right; no shortcuts." Rettenbacher said he first met Becker when he joined SBOC after he became a Building Inspector in northwest suburban Elk Grove Village in 1962. "I could see he was very dynamic, very dedicated," he said. Becker also got him involved in BOCA, where they saw the offices move from near the University of Chicago, to Homewood, and finally to Country Club Hills. The latter now serves as the Central Regional Office for the International Code Council and SBOC is now part of the ICC Heartland Region IV Coalition. Rettenbacher said Becker, a former Marine born like him, was dedicated and very strong willed. "If he felt something should be done one a certain way, you had better get out of the way," Rettenbacher said. "His attitude helped me more than anything else. I could count on him for advice any time. He always was willing to talk to people. He would say, 'The smartest man is the one who knows what he doesn't know.'" After his retirement following 29 years as administrator in south suburban Country Club Hills, Becker frequently attended SBOC past president's luncheons, where his knowledge and experience became known to another generation of Building Officials. "His reputation through Building and Code Enforcement world, at least in the Chicago area, is legendary," said SBOC President Donald L. Fredericks, Assistant Building Director for the Village of Bartlett, Ill. Since Becker retired about the same time Fredericks started his career in the late 1980s, the latter said he had met Becker only two or three times. "He was always a gentleman and willing to provide history of Building Codes in the area. "He was truly an icon in the industry," Fredericks added. "He has been an inspiration, and his wealth of knowledge is sorely missed." SBOC Board Member Dan Westergaard, a retired Naperville, Ill., Building Official, said Becker was a familiar presence with his wife Joyce. "We remember him with great admiration for all he has accomplished as a Code Official, Village Administrator, as BOCA President and CEO with a passion of dedication to the principles of public health safety and welfare for all people," Westergaard said. Rettenbacher said he and his wife Elvira traveled many times to conferences with Hank and Joyce Becker. The last time he saw his longtime friend was at the annual SBOC past president's luncheon in November in Oak Brook. "He had fallen and hurt himself, so he couldn't drive," Rettenbacher said. "So Joyce drove him. Otherwise, he still drove everywhere. "He was a great friend. I'll miss him."

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