Davisson Frey Dunlap

1918 - 2017

Davisson Frey (Dave) Dunlap

Tallahassee - Davisson Frey Dunlap passed away peacefully at the age of 99 on December 21, 2017 at Westminster Oaks in Tallahassee. There will be two memorial services in his honor, the first on Friday, January 12 in Tallahassee, Florida, at Faith Presbyterian Church at 3 p.m. and the other in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, January 14 at the Riverside Presbyterian Church at 11 a.m. with a reception to follow.

Davisson, a third-generation Floridian, was born August 14, 1918, in Jacksonville to Sam and Belle Dunlap. At Robert E. Lee High School, he played center for the football team and graduated in 1936 with high honors. He attended the University of Florida from 1936-40 and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business with honors. He was a member of the SAE Fraternity, Blue Key and Phi Beta Kappa.

Davisson then attended Harvard Law School, serving as Director of Students' Legal Aid Society. He was called into the service in February 1942 and served in the US Army during World War II from 1942 - 1946. He was a captain in the infantry in the 69th Division in France, Belgium and Germany and earned two Bronze Stars for valor and the Combat Infantry Badge. After the war he served in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1965 and retired as a colonel.

Following World War II he received his degree from Harvard Law School in 1947, where he was president of Harvard Legal Aid. He was admitted to practice law in Florida in 1947 and became one of the most respected lawyers in the state, working for the law firms Adair, Kent and Ashby (later Ulmer, Murchison, Kent, Ashley and Ball) in Jacksonville, Carlton Fields (Orlando); and Dunlap and Shipman (Tallahassee). His specialty was business litigation and antitrust law.

He served on numerous committees of the Florida Bar and was Chairman of the Banking and Business Law Committee. He also served on the Florida Board of Governors and on the Board of Bar Examiners of the Florida Bar. He was a member of the American Bar Association and served as Chairman of the Robinson-Patmann Act Committee of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association. He was a Fellow of the American College of Trail Lawyers and a life member of the American Bar Association. In 1960, he appeared before the United States Supreme Court as part of an antitrust case involving price fixing. He was dedicated to the practice of law, to his clients and to his colleagues.

Among his primary interests were travel, jazz (he donated an extensive jazz music collection to the Florida State University Library), reading, wine and University of Florida football. He will be dearly missed and fondly remembered as a wise and good man and a mentor to colleagues/family/friends, and a great role model for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

He is survived by his six children: Davisson Dunlap, Jr. (wife Jan), Mary Elizabeth Dunlap, Deborah Wells (husband John), John Hahn Dunlap (wife Lee), Bonnie Stewart and Kiki Stark. His nine grandchildren are Heather Stoller (husband Steven), Amy Collins (husband Doug), Davisson Dunlap III (wife Clarissa), Whitney Menning (husband Jesse), Ashley Stanley (husband Craig), Jake and Katie Dunlap, Blake, Chase, Cole and Jenna Stark and Shaun Stewart. He is survived by great-grandchildren: Preston, Mary Mobley and Brooks Dewberry, Silas and Parker Collins, Pilar and Davisson Dunlap IV, William and Caroline Menning, and Townes and Elizabeth Reed Stanley. He was predeceased by his wives, the former Mary Hahn and Helen Forsyth. Also deceased is his brother Sam Dunlap Jr. He was fortunate to enjoy the company of dear friend Katherine Oven for numerous years in Tallahassee, which greatly enriched his later life.

A special thanks goes to the staff at Westminster Oaks, especially the Companions who gave him so much care and attention. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests gifts to Faith Presbyterian Church (2200 North Meridian Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32303) or the charity of the donor's choice.

Rocky Bevis of Bevis Funeral Home in Tallahassee (850/385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) is assisting the Dunlap family with their arrangements.