Ralph and Goldy Lewis to Be Honored by O.C. Builders

Ralph and Goldy Lewis, the founders of Lewis Homes of California, will be honored May 26 with “The Spirit of Life” Award for 1993 by the Orange County Construction Industries Alliance for the City of Hope National Medical Center.

“This is a well-earned tribute recognizing the lifetime achievements of (the Lewises), who have made a positive impact on our industry and the community,” said William Lyon, chairman of the William Lyon Co., Newport Beach, and chairman of a dinner honoring the couple at Planet Hollywood in Costa Mesa.

Ralph and Goldy Lewis are chairman and executive vice president, respectively, of the family owned Lewis Homes, which they established in 1957 and which is now the Southland’s third-largest home builder.

The couple’s first “joint venture” was a CPA firm, which they opened in Claremont in the early 1950s. In 1955, a home builder client was so impressed with their knowledge of accounting and tax planning for residential development, that he suggested they become partners in a 50-home project in Claremont. The partnership flourished, and two years later the Lewises struck out on their own.

Today, the Upland-based company operates more than 50 communities in California and Nevada, making it the 10th largest residential development firm in the nation. Some 45,000 families live in Lewis-built homes, townhomes, condos and apartments.

Dinner tickets are $200 a person. For further information call (714) 665-6920.