Len Layne

1937 - 2019

LAYNE, Len Harry Sep 18, 1937 - Mar 22, 2019 Len Layne, CCIM, CPM, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on Friday, March 22, 2019, at the age of 81. Born in Big Spring, TX, on September 18, 1937, his family soon moved to Dallas where he attended the Highland Park School system through high school. After his father Thomas Lenwood Layne was killed in WWII in the battle at Okinawa while serving in the US Navy, Len was reared by his mother Lois Marie Stanton Layne and his paternal grandmother Libby Gleason Layne with whom he formed a very close bond. As a young teenager Len joined the Boy Scout Troop 70 led by scoutmaster Lon Sailors who instilled in Len and many of his friends the goal of earning the rank of Eagle Scout, a mark Len always held dear to his heart and an achievement of which he was always proud. When Lois remarried the widowed famous SMU athlete Al "Moco" Neeley, Len became the brother to Al's two daughters, Gayle Neeley Crawford and Kay Neeley Polk, both with whom he bonded and formed a cherished family, eventually becoming the "fun uncle" to their children. After graduation from HPHS, Len entered Texas A&M and joined the fighting Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. A member of the Marketing Society, Len's outgoing personality was useful as a member of the Town Hall Staff whose purpose was providing and socializing with the best well-rounded entertainment for the students and faculty at Aggieland. He was very proud that he captained the A&M fencing team, ranked twelfth nationally, the highest ever, and the Southwest Conference Champions. He graduated, class of '59, with a Degree in Marketing and as a Distinguished Military Graduate, an award given only to the top 10 % and was commissioned as an officer into the US Army Reserves. The rest of his life Len was a devoted Aggie, attending Capitol City Aggie Musters, Coach's Nights and football games. He loved his Aggie buddies and proudly wore his Aggie ring, even having his wedding ring soldered to it. His wife would tease that, although his wedding ring was worn closest to his heart, his Aggie ring hit his money pocket first! Len was born a natural leader and a talented communicator which made him a very successful salesman throughout his life. He began his career working for Union Carbide, traveling a territory that included Texas and Louisiana, a state whose cuisine became his favorite. He quickly accumulated a shelf full of sales awards that brought him trophies, but no extra money, so Len decided to join a company that would allow him to succeed on straight commissions! Moving back to Dallas, Len became a salesman for Friden Business Machines, then a leader in the new electronic office equipment. A fluke that he and Dorothy Rodgers both were participants at a business convention brought them together and they married in 1965. He had the opportunity to buy the Friden Office Equipment dealership in Austin in 1969 and moved his family. He successfully grew the business to 10 sales people, and built the service department up to nine full-time employees. His branch on South IH35 became a leader in the national market, an outstanding accomplishment in 1974 when Austin had a population of less than 300,000! Simultaneously Len learned to tolerate, if not love, the attention a rare Aggie in Austin (not so rare these days) brought him from his UT neighbors and business colleagues. He started in the real estate business on a small scale in 1978, building a business of Handy Private mailboxes in four locations across Austin, a company he sold moving his profits into the mini-warehouse business. He bought one and developed two more Handy Self Storage locations consisting of a total of 1200 units. He sold that business in 1984 and moved into the management of office warehouse locations, eventually purchasing or developing multiple locations accumulating half a million square feet of space. His years in the computer industry taught that a key to success was having more knowledge than his competitor. Wanting the education to provide the best client services available, he took every nationally accredited education certification in the industry at great expense. He was one of the first six Certified Commercial Investment Members (CCIM ) in Austin and participated in establishing the Central Texas chapter. He also earned the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation and graduated from the School of Advanced Real Estate Studies from Texas A&M (SOARS). Len pioneered the tenant representation business where he claimed prominence as the owner of Space Broker, leasing large office spaces throughout the Austin area. His secret to success was that by using skills he learned in the computer industry he built the first data base of office buildings over 10,000 square feet which was revolutionary in the early days of computers and he grew his company to as many as 11 leasing agents. As Austin grew and changed, an incredibly smart businessman Len seized the opportunity to begin developing and leasing business parks founding his new company, L H Layne Company. An early advocate of saving our environment, Len was a partner in a business that produced "drip-irrigation" products in the early 80's and was awarded local honors for his use of xeriscaping in his projects around Austin. As always with family and friends, Len was a man of utmost integrity. Loyal to the core, diligent in every endeavor and dedicated to success he could always be counted on for a quick witty one liner, an infectious smile, and a firm handshake. He had a skill to make one feel the most important person in the room and to infect you with confidence. A man committed to fostering his community, Len was active through the years in every leadership level in the development of his church, in fostering young people as a soccer coach and during seven years as the Scoutmaster for Troop 511. He was an assistant Scoutmaster for two more trips to the BSA National Jamboree and two trips to Sea Base in Florida with his sons. In following his passion of helping young people in their paths to become good citizens of country and followers of God, Len helped scores of young men achieve their Eagle Scout awards. Following this same passion, he gave countless hours recruiting for and developing the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets. Len's last outing was to attend with great pleasure the Eagle Scout Ceremony of his grandson William who expressed his pride at being a third generation Eagle Scout. Preceded in death by both sisters, Len is survived by his wife of 53 years Dorothy, his son Eric, wife Laurie and children Patrick, William and Catherine, and his son Michael Lon. His surviving nephews and nieces are Haydon Crawford, Amy Crawford Joss, Eve Crawford White, John Polk, and Adrienne Polk Colwill. His brother-in-law John Crawford also survives Len. A memorial service will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 3003 Northland Drive, Austin, at 2:30pm on Sunday, April 7 with a reception following at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials would be appreciated if given to Covenant Presbyterian Church, Capitol Area Council #564 Boys Scouts of America,12500 North IH35, Austin 78753 or to Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association, 1134 Finfeather Road, Bryan, TX 77803-3823 to augment two scholarships funded by Len and Dorothy in memory of two cadets killed in the Bonfire Collapse, or to a charity dear to your heart. His family will sorely miss Len and would cherish any stories of his acts and antics that can be shared.