Jack Conway always had an eye for the action – and when life as a boxing reporter for the Boston Record-American no longer provided enough of a kick, he moved into a much tougher arena: real estate.
Conway opened his first real estate office, a storefront in Hingham in 1956, building it into the second largest independent real estate brokerage in the state, which today has 40 offices and 600 sales agents. His dominance of the South Shore market led him to dub the area "Conway Country."
"My father touched so many lives in a positive way," said Conway’s daughter Carol Bulman, the CEO of Jack Conway & Company. "He will be missed by our family, our entire company and all those he helped through his lifetime of giving back to the community."
As an entrepreneur, he was a pioneer, launching his own associated mortgage brokerage and training academy, and becoming one of the first local brokers to create a multi-office company. To the real estate community, he was a leader; his many leadership posts and awards include president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and Realtor of the Year in 1971.
"Jack Conway was a powerhouse in the resident real estate community. One couldn’t be in the room with him without absorbing some of his incredibly positive energy," said Inez Steele, executive director of the Realty Guild.
But for hundreds of local agents, he was a mentor, known especially for hiring and promoting female agents at a time when real estate was still a man’s game.
"He was larger than life," said Nora Moran, who started her real estate career with Conway in 1981. She is currently a senior vice president with Hammond Real Estate in Concord. "I went to work at his Beacon Hill office, and I think I was there six months when he promoted me to manager."
Beyond his real estate business, Conway was a strong supporter of several local charities. The MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless named its Middleboro family shelter "The Conway House" in honor of Conway and his wife, Patricia. Brockton Area Multi-Services’ Conway Children’s Advocacy Center for abused children also is named in their honor. He was also the founder of the Ambassadors of Holy Cross, a group that supports the mission work of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the poorest areas of Peru.
Born in Boston in 1923, Conway attended the University of Notre Dame and served in the U.S. Navy in World War II.
Conway is survived by his wife, Patricia (Carroll) Conway of Scituate, a son, Jack Conway Jr. of Florida, and two daughters, Barbara Conway and Carol Bulman, both of Scituate.
