WILLIAM SAVAGE

1932 - 2020

SAVAGE WILLIAM HENRY SAVAGE William Henry Savage, 87, of Alexandria, Virginia, died suddenly at home on February 2, 2020. Born in Camden, South Carolina, on April 16, 1932, he was the son of Henry Savage, Jr. and Elizabeth Charlotte Anderson, who passed away at his birth. He grew up in Camden along with six younger siblings who were the children of his father and Elizabeth Clarke Jones. Savage graduated with a BA from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. An officer in the U.S. Air Force for eight years: five years were in inactive status in the Air Force Reserves and three years on active duty, stationed as a radar officer in Freising, Germany, near Munich, during the heightened tensions of the Cold War in Europe. The outposts were on the Soviet-controlled border. Following his military service, Savage entered law practice in Washington, D.C. In the mid-1960s Savage became the founder and President of Savage/Fogarty Companies, a Washington area real estate investment company that operated construction, sales, property management, and leasing divisions. The company developed more than 3,000 residential units, ranging from apartments to townhouses and single-family homes, and approximately 2.0 million square feet of office buildings and retail shopping centers. Savage/Fogarty was acquired by Dutch investors in 1980. From 1981-1989, Savage was President and Chief Executive Officer of Ameribanc Investors Group and its predecessor, MIW Investors of Washington, with headquarters in Annandale, Virginia. Ameribanc Investors Group was the publicly-traded holding company of Ameribanc Savings Bank, a $1.2 billion savings bank. Ameribanc was acquired by First Union National Bank in 1994. Additionally, Savage was President and principal owner of Richards United Corporation, Alexandria, Virginia, a real estate investment company, and general partner in various other real estate development projects. From 1990-2006, Savage was Chairman of Island Preservation Partnership, developer of Dewees Island, a 1,200 acre oceanfront retreat dedicated to environmental preservation, located near Charleston, South Carolina. Savage was part of the original group which purchased Dewees in 1972. As the lead in the development of Dewees Island, he was proud that Dewees achieved the most valued award in real estate - the Urban Land Institute Award of Excellence in 2001. From 1995-2007, Savage was a director of Harbourton Capital Group, Inc., a holding company for two financial service businesses: lender to developers and homebuilders and nation-wide mortgage banking. In 1996, Savage became founder and President of Orchids Dominicana, SA, based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Orchidom is the Caribbean's largest producer of pot-plant orchids with some 400,000 square feet of greenhouses. It serves Caribbean, Latin American, and American markets. From Orchidom's inception to 2016, when he relinquished day-to-day management, he bred hundreds of orchid crosses, of which the most notable was the equitant Oncidium, Rrm. Orchidom Valentine, which was the first true red equitant. The cross was awarded the rarely given Award of Quality. He maintained an ownership share in Orchidom until his death. A recipient of countless other orchid hybridizing awards, Savage's passion for orchids began in 1983. He said, "If you give someone one orchid plant, the next thing they know they have enough to fill a window and then a greenhouse." Within the first seven years, his personal greenhouse at home contained just under 1,000 orchids and about 700 varieties. Savage was an avid reader of historical and scientific books, particularly covering the Nation's Founding Era, quantum mechanics, and the physics of black holes. In addition to being a life-long gardener, he loved his years sailing a chartered bareboat yacht among the Caribbean islands and early-morning fishing on the Potomac River. An accomplished skier, his destination was always Zermatt, Switzerland. At the time of his death, Savage was working on a 400-year history of the Savage family in America. He was a member of the Old Dominion Boat Club since 1987. A steadfast supporter of American heritage and values, Savage was a member of the Executive Committee of the Life Guard Society of Historic Mount Vernon. A member of the Society of the Cincinnati since 1963, he was at his passing a member of the Board of Overseers of the Society's American Revolution Institute, which is working to preserve the memory of the Revolution, a cause to which he was deeply committed. Savage is survived by a son, William Henry Savage, Jr., a daughter, Juliet Elizabeth Savage; children of ex-spouse, Marilyn Savage; a granddaughter, Charlotte Ilona Savage; and a grandson, William James Savage. He leaves behind a host of good friends and his wife/companion of 46 years, Ilona Sander Savage. A Celebration of Life will be held at the headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, on Sunday, March 22, 2020, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Valet parking will be available.A Celebration of Life will be held at the headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, on Sunday, March 22, 2020, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Valet parking will be available.