F L O R I D I A N V I E W. C O M | 7 7
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A Sign Of
Tippen Davidson on stage at the News-Journal Center in theater bearing his name, welcoming crowds as he was acustomed to doing on opening night.
75 cents
After initially performing here for several annual events, the expenses became a burden and the orchestra took a hiatus on their beloved Daytona trip. When a group of music lovers and Davidson got together at a local cocktail party in the early eighties, they dreamed up the return of the orchestra. Every other year since 1985, the LSO cross ed
The London Symphony Orchestra began a love affair with Daytona Beach in the sixties as a response to a letter from Tippen Davidson sent orchestras around the world. As the only ones to respond to the invitation, a tradition was started. His vision was to bring a first-class musical event to the area and help rebrand our image and establish a world-class venue for the arts in Daytona Beach. Sounds all too familiar.
BY FV Editorial Staff ARTS, PAGE 1A
(and would do so again)
Why history repeats itself
LSO Loss
ARTS, PAGE 12
Tippen Davidson
1927 - 2007
The Perfect Storm-Media, M o n e y & M u s i c PAGE 6C
TODAYS’ FORECAST
OCTOBER 1, 2011
SUNDAY
FLORIDIAN VIEW /ARCHIVAL PHOTOGRAPH
THE MAN WHO LEAD THE WAY
FINAL EDITION
THE VOICE OF THOSE WHO KNEW HIM
Times
w w w. f l o r i d i a n v i e w. c o m / t i p p e n d av i d s o n
The way he brought people together, made things happen OPINION, PAGE 17
ARTS SUPPORT
The News Journal, which was owned by the Davidson family for more than 80 years, was sold following a bitter legal battle between the paper and Cox Enterprises, a minority shareholder. Cox objected to the News Journal paying $13 million for the naming rights to the News Journal Center, a world-class performing arts center, and also took exception to the paper’s financial support of other community organizations. To understand the depth of support, one must realize that beyond the support provided for special events and organizations in the region, there was an entire department and employees at the paper that were dedicated to producing events such as the International Festival. When the issue began, the Davidson family attempted to buy out Cox’s shares, however in 2006, a district judge set the value of Cox’s 47.5 percent ownership at $129 million, an amount the family disputed. Unable to pay that sum and in the midst of a dismal economy and eroding newspaper circulation, the newspaper was subsequently put up for sale to satisfy the judgment. By the time it finally sold in 2010 to Halifax Media, the sale price was $20 million, significantly less than the judge’s
DAYTONA - To best appreciate the cultural void created by the 2007 death of arts patron Herbert M. “Tippen” Davidson Jr., you have to listen to the sounds of silence. The stillness of a shuttered Seaside Music Theatre, the barely remembered echoes of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite by the London Symphony Orchestra at its last and perhaps final performance in our community and the quiet loss of support for hundreds of events that came to rely on the generosity of the Davidson family. While the death of the president, CEO and co-editor of the News Journal may not have signaled the end of a decades-long family history of community involvement and financial support, the subsequent forced sale of the newspaper dealt a fatal blow to some very visible and beloved cultural events in our community. We’ll take a look at some of those losses and ask community leaders whether there is anyone willing or able to fill the shoes of a man many called “larger than life.”
By JEANNE WILLARD STAFF WRITER
The News Journal, under its present ownership, continues to support the community, however, not to the extent the family owned paper did. Although he always resisted any offers to purchase the paper, Davidson himself addressed the likely effects of such
Classically trained as a violinist at Julliard, music became a life passion even as Davidson pursued a career in journalism that included a stint at the Chicago Daily News and continued at the family-owned News Journal until his death. He and his late wife Josephine Davidson championed numerous cultural, civic, educational and student athletic endeavors with financial support that likely could not have been sustained by the local economy outside of the family largesse, something that has become increasingly evident in his absence . The need for generous patronage or civic support is no surprise to those with experience running not-for profit performing art groups.According to the National Endowment of the Arts, on a national average admission fees comprise only 35 percent of total revenues of such endeavors with the balance made up by donations and other contributed income.
Davidson was alive when the lawsuit was filed and, according to family and friends, believed he would prevail. That he did not live to see the loss of the family business is something Truilo can take small comfort in. “He was hurt,” she said, regarding his reaction to the legal quagmire. “He spent his whole life doing things for the community and he thought that was being called into question.” Not by the community itself, she added. “I think he was heartened by the support that he received from the community.” Truilo said that her father truly believed that Daytona Beach and the Halifax area were important and deserved to have wonderful visual arts, music and theatre. “His idea was that a small town can and needs to have the things that big town people take for granted.”
valuation just four years earlier. Despite the News Journal’s attempts to delay the sale until the economy improved, a U.S. District Judge allowed the purchase to proceed. A legal appeal is still pending, said Davidson’s daughter, Julia Davidson Truilo.
“Since Mr. Davidson’s passing there has been a palpable void in leadership in the cultural community,” said Gary Libby, director emeritus of the Museum of Arts & Sciences and long-time Davidson friend. “I think Davidson’s unique talents and his unique resources make him a once-in-a-century leader.” Libby points to Davidson’s personal and corporate generos
Perhaps the greater loss to the community is not a particular venue or event, but the loss of an acknowledged leader who had the ability to bring people to the table, make things happen and personally fund what he considered a good cause, if need be. Is there anyone willing to pick up the mantle? Is it even possible to fill the shoes of a man often described as an “icon?”
a sale during a 2000 University of Florida oral history interview when he was asked how the paper would change if it was taken over by a corporate entity. Davidson’s reply is somewhat prescient, “…I’m sure they would cut the expenses pretty dramatically. This paper is heavily involved in the community. It gives away a lot of money. It gives away a lot of time and attention to community things. We not only countenance but encourage staff to participate in community things. . . I feel sure they would not do it as much as we do, anyway.” (1)
Julia Davidson Truilo
“He spent his whole life doing things for the community and he thought that was being called into question.”
Loss of patron leaves void unfilled years later, no one to pick up torch
Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey believes that in addition to Davidson’s death, the stubborn recession played a big role in the loss of the orchestra. “I think the economy is the 900-pound gorilla in the room.” Corporate contributions are essential to keeping the LSO alive, he said, and right now everyone is just trying to keep their doors open and avoid laying people off. Ritchey is correct, but it must be stated that corporations in this community had invested and committed to continue investing in these activities on a scale unlike any other charitable cause in the region. Credit must be given for the millions invested by local businesses.
Had Davidson been with us today and the News-Journal sale not been forced, it’s likely the festival would not have subsequently evolved into the Community Cultural Foundation; joining forces with Daytona State College and ultimately becoming embroiled in a financial and political scandal that lingers today. Regardless of ample reporting, the correct version of events and real political agenda have yet to be fully exposed – and this article is not about that. Insiders that know the truth, know the reality of how this issue was manipulated to achieve a political goal and create a convenient media smoke screen. Educated decisions were made by smart people, unanimously and with the goal of bettering the community. That is the truth.
the pond until their last performance in 2009. Each “festival” biennial year Davidson is reported to have injected up to a million dollars to keep the organization functioning. After his death in 2007, The News-Journal Corporation, in receivership, was unable to provide any support for the LSO events, a devastating blow to the Davidson dependent operation. The City of Daytona Beach and Volusia County stepped up to the plate and granted the organization a one-time grant of one million dollars to bridge the gap and secure the 2009 festival would occur. The 2009 festival would be the orchestra’s most successful but final appearance.
Volusia County Chairman Frank Bruno is more optimistic about a future leader evolving. “Everybody looked at Tippen as the number one cultural leader in probably the state of Florida,” Bruno said. “I believe we have a great community that, at the appropriate time, will come forward and really pick up where Tippen Davidson left off.”
“There has been a diminution in the minds of elected officials,’ he said. “The newspaper and Davidson insured that the arts and culture were on the front burner of decision making by elected officials, and that is not the case today.” He is also not convinced that there is anyone poised to fill the void. “Unfortunately it will be a long time before we see someone with both his knowledge and his access to resources like the newspaper to protect the public when it comes to things cultural,” Libby said.
Equally important was Davidson’s ability to keep the significance and importance of the arts on the radar of elected officials. In Libby’s opinion, that is no longer happening.
ity and commitment to the community that will be hard to match. “He put his money where his mouth was,” he said. “He commanded the respect of the businesses and residential community whether you liked him or not.”
Mayor Ritchey agrees. “He set the bar very high. To say that there is one person that could step in to those shoes would be a stretch.” While he noted that the community is full of talented people who are experienced and capable, he doubts whether there is RITCHEY one person with the financial where-with-all and the time and commitment to take on Davidson’s role. “I am not going to say it is impossible,” Ritchey said, “but it will be hard to find.”
But others have their doubts. “That was a huge loss and I don’t know that we will ever find anybody again that has the interest and enthusiasm and the energy level,” said Hyatt Brown, Chairman of the board of directors of Brown & Brown Inc and longtime board leader for BROWN many Davidson supported organizations. He noted that the Davidson was a big supporter of the Museum of Arts and Sciences and Stetson University as well as many other community programs too numerous to list.
(1) Oral History interview by Julian Pleasants with Tippen Davidson, Nov. 15, 2000, Page 11, Samuel Proctor Oral History Program Collection, P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History, University of Florida.
Although that may be good advice, many believe that Tippen Davidson was at the core of a unique triad of money, media control and music appreciation that supported the local arts in a manner that is unlikely to be repeated again in our lifetime
It’s an interesting exercise to imagine what Davidson’s reaction would be to everything that has transpired since his death and Truilo said she has pondered this. Her father was a problem solver, she noted, that was his modus operandi. Yes, he would have mourned losses, but then he would have dusted himself off and moved on to the next problem saying “What can we do now? Let’s learn from that and move forward.” Above all her father would focus on a community need, she said. Whether it was the loss of a festival or the need for a library, he would work toward that end, saying “Don’t give up…Get moving.”
While Davidson was not shy about expressing his opinion, was known for his “liberal” views and had the use of the paper as a pulpit, his generosity with both his money and his time was beyond reproach. “The thing that sometimes gets lost is the idea there was some self aggrandizing motive in some of this,” Truilo said. “Not just because I am his daughter, but because I watched him work every day, I cannot imagine the amount of personal time, energy, hardearned cash and everything else he put into this. The joy was in the gift… always.”
“I think Davidson’s unique talents and his unique resources make him a once-in-a-century leader.” Gary Libby
Loss of Leader and Patron, cont.
IIf there is a lesson to be learned from Tippen it is that a deficit was never seen as a loss – it was an investment in a better community. How things have changed – that is a sign of the times.
Bottom line? The LSO will always be willing to visit Daytona Beach – for the right price. The love affair that existed during Davidson’s life has all but eroded to a transactional artist/buyer relationship. It will be up to three important factors if this beloved event will ever happen again: Public support (meaning public cash) will be needed to subsidize cost; events like this don’t happen without that anywhere. Tickets will need to be sold, and with number lagging over the last decade, those that have been so vocal in the loss will need to buy tickets (lots of them). Everyone involved will need to raise money and have the stomach to take a deficit – which will happen.
Hyatt Brown, chairman of the board of directors of Brown & Brown Inc., said he believes the LSO will return, but perhaps in an abbreviated format that would be more affordable for the community. They have expressed an interest in returning, he said. “There are an awful lot of people that would like to have the LSO back. Once the economy gets back to what I would call normal, some of these cultural acts can revive themselves.” Will it be exactly the same? Perhaps not, he said, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
As far as whether the community can bring the renowned orchestra back, Ritchey is somewhat optimistic. “I believe there is a desire and willingness to see that continue.” he said. “How we get there is the question.”
Why history repeats itself
LSO Loss,