Douglas Poe CONE Sr.

CONE, Douglas Poe Sr.

died in Highlands, NC, on Nov. 30, 2014. Douglas Poe Cone was born in Tampa in 1928, third son of Julian Lee Cone and Vera Graham Poe Cone. Growing up he spent time working on the family ranch and groves in Plant City. He attended Gorrie Elementary School, the little red schoolhouse in Citrus Park, Woodrow Wilson Jr. High, and graduated from Plant High School. He earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1950 and was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity. He returned to his home town of Tampa, going to work in the family construction business. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1951 to 1953.

Returning home he assumed duties from 1953 to 1971 as vice president of Cone Brothers Contracting Company, which built many major and secondary roads and bridges throughout Florida. In 1953, he became president of Tampa Sand & Materials Corp., producing ready - mix concrete and blocks. That year he founded and was president of Florida Prestressed Concrete Co., which was instrumental in pre and post tensioning high strength concrete with steel cables, and he served as the first president of the Prestressed Concrete Institute of America. In 1959, he formed and was president of American Concrete Crosstie Corp., developing in the U. S. the manufacturing and usage of concrete crossties to replace timber ties used in railroad construction. He was also active in the family grove, cattle, and hotel holdings. In 1969, he formed and became president of Florida Fly Ash Company, initiating the use of fly ash in concrete to reduce cement content and increase resistance to salt water intrusion. Tampa Sand & Materials Corp. merged with Brooksville Rock Company in 1971 becoming Florida Mining & Materials Corp., which in addition to its mining and concrete business, built and operated a cement mill in Brooksville, and was listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. He served as executive vice president until the company was sold in 1978. In 1979, he formed The Cone Corporation, serving as president, again building roads and bridges in Florida. In 1985, he formed the company Cone Distributing, Inc., a multi-beer distributorship operating in Ocala, Gainesville, and Tallahassee areas. In 2004, he and a partner started an ice vending company, Ice House USA, Inc., operating in several counties in central and west central Florida. Over the years he served on numerous bank, railroad and company boards, the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Florida State Fair and Gasparilla Association, as Director of the Florida Road Builders Association, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Berkeley Preparatory School and Trustee Emeritus. He also was a member of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla. In 1999, he was inducted into the Georgia Tech Engineering Hall of Fame, and in 2006 he was inducted into the Florida Transportation Builders Association Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, Hillary Carlson Cone and their children, Carolee Hirtzel Carlson and Fred Hirtzel Carlson (Marie); and two grandchildren. By his first marriage to Jean Ann Cone (deceased), he is survived by daughter, Julianne Cone McKeel; his sons, Douglas Poe Cone Jr. (Deborah), and Ashley Ramsdell Cone (Linda); nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents; twin brothers, C.W. Cone of Plant City and J.L. Cone Jr., of Tampa; and his first cousins, William F. Poe and Charles W. Poe of Tampa.

A graveside service will be held at Myrtle Hill Memorial Park cemetery on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 2 pm, with a reception following. If desired, donations may be made in his memory to the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Roll Call 404-894-0756, Mayo Clinic 855-852-8129, or Berkeley Preparatory School, 813-885-1673.