I just read that MC Davis passed on Saturday. No matter your opinion, he was a very influential man.
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/local/m-c-davis-passes-away-1.496969
Influential Walton County philanthropist and developer M.C. Davis passed away Saturday.
Davis was diagnosed with lung cancer last fall. He was 70 and leaves behind his wife, Stella, three daughters and five grandchildren.
He is best known for his conservation efforts and the creation of the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center. The research and animal refuge was built on the 53,000-acre Nokuse Plantation in the Freeport area. His received a number of recognitions and awards for his work including a feature last month by NPR ».
“M.C. Davis can best be described as a force of nature,” said Meg Nelson, who was the first project manager at Nokuse. “...You could al-most see people catch his fire as he talked to them.”
He started making local headlines about the environment in the late 1990s. Along with some other investors, he purchased about 30,000 acres in Lafayette County and then in 2002 he bought the bulk of what would become Nokuse.
“I believe in stewardship,” he told the Daily News at the time. “It will be a wilderness once again.”
He didn’t just purchase the land and hope future generations would follow his lead. Instead he focused much of his attention on educating children about the environment through hands-on activities and experiences in nature.
“I’d like to see them have a wonderful planet like I’ve enjoyed in my lifetime,” he told the Daily News in 2006, about a year before con-struction started at the Biophilia Center.
According to his biography on the Biophilia Center’s website, he considered the Nokuse Plantation “his biggest and probably most impor-tant project.”
Christy Scally, who was the first director of the Biophilia Center, met Davis 20 years ago and found his passion to be unparalleled. He didn’t just talk about protecting the environment, he lived it.
“He knew what needed to happen and tried to make sure things were done to make these things happen,” she said.
Davis was also the CEO of Fountain Investment, Inc. in Miramar Beach. It is a land a timber trading company. He’s recently sold property to the Walton County School District for a new school and to the county for a new sports complex.
He was self-made man, according to longtime friend Charles Rigdon.
Davis grew up poor in Milton under the care of a single mother, but she built a solid foundation for him. Davis was constantly reading and well-versed in business, the environment and history.
Once he’d made it, Davis never hesitated to reach out a hand to someone else, including Rigdon, who described Davis as a mentor.
“He wanted you to excel,” Rigdon said. “He wanted you to do well and he didn’t mind helping you.”
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/local/m-c-davis-passes-away-1.496969
Influential Walton County philanthropist and developer M.C. Davis passed away Saturday.
Davis was diagnosed with lung cancer last fall. He was 70 and leaves behind his wife, Stella, three daughters and five grandchildren.
He is best known for his conservation efforts and the creation of the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center. The research and animal refuge was built on the 53,000-acre Nokuse Plantation in the Freeport area. His received a number of recognitions and awards for his work including a feature last month by NPR ».
“M.C. Davis can best be described as a force of nature,” said Meg Nelson, who was the first project manager at Nokuse. “...You could al-most see people catch his fire as he talked to them.”
He started making local headlines about the environment in the late 1990s. Along with some other investors, he purchased about 30,000 acres in Lafayette County and then in 2002 he bought the bulk of what would become Nokuse.
“I believe in stewardship,” he told the Daily News at the time. “It will be a wilderness once again.”
He didn’t just purchase the land and hope future generations would follow his lead. Instead he focused much of his attention on educating children about the environment through hands-on activities and experiences in nature.
“I’d like to see them have a wonderful planet like I’ve enjoyed in my lifetime,” he told the Daily News in 2006, about a year before con-struction started at the Biophilia Center.
According to his biography on the Biophilia Center’s website, he considered the Nokuse Plantation “his biggest and probably most impor-tant project.”
Christy Scally, who was the first director of the Biophilia Center, met Davis 20 years ago and found his passion to be unparalleled. He didn’t just talk about protecting the environment, he lived it.
“He knew what needed to happen and tried to make sure things were done to make these things happen,” she said.
Davis was also the CEO of Fountain Investment, Inc. in Miramar Beach. It is a land a timber trading company. He’s recently sold property to the Walton County School District for a new school and to the county for a new sports complex.
He was self-made man, according to longtime friend Charles Rigdon.
Davis grew up poor in Milton under the care of a single mother, but she built a solid foundation for him. Davis was constantly reading and well-versed in business, the environment and history.
Once he’d made it, Davis never hesitated to reach out a hand to someone else, including Rigdon, who described Davis as a mentor.
“He wanted you to excel,” Rigdon said. “He wanted you to do well and he didn’t mind helping you.”
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