LYCOS RETRIEVER 
William Davidson: New Zealand
built 262 days ago
William Davidson turned his attention from Argentina to finding out all he could about the South Island of New Zealand, and in September 1865 he left Gravesend aboard the sailing ship Celaeno. He arrived in Port Chalmers on 30 December. Early in the new year he sailed to Timaru and put himself in the hands of the manager at the Levels estate, recently purchased for the Canterbury and Otago Association from William, Robert and George Rhodes.
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Davidson's involvement in the Detroit community is well documented. In 1997 he was honored for his lifelong philanthropic efforts, locally, nationally and internationally, by the Council of Michigan Foundations. The same year, he was listed in a New York Times article as one of America’s most generous donors. Davidson was ... one of the "founding fathers" who originated the Pistons/Palace Foundation, a charitable vehicle that has donated more than $20 million dollars in cash and merchandise since 1989. In January, 1995 the foundation worked in conjunction with the City of Detroit’s Parks and Recreation Department to establish the Partnership to Adopt and Renovate Parks for Kids (PARK) Program. The program provides for restoration of Detroit parks, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, running tracks and playground equipment.
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A native of Detroit, Michigan, Davidson received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan in 1947 and his Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University in 1949. In 1949 he was admitted to practice before the Michigan Supreme Court. In 1996 he was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. In 2001, Mr. Davidson was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Michigan.
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Despite all that is known of Davidson the company man, there is little that illuminates his private life. He married Jane Emily Davidson, daughter of the sheriff of Midlothian, at Edinburgh, Scotland, on 1 October 1873. They had one daughter before Jane died at Edinburgh on 7 January 1884. On 21 August 1889, at Timaru, New Zealand, Davidson married Caroline Elizabeth Thierens; they were to have no children.
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Davidson's unique relationship with his co-workers led to many innovations in the manufacturing process. Davidson would listen to the people on the line, gathering information and learning ideas on new or more efficient techniques that could be implemented in manufacturing parts. Countless improvements in building Harley-Davidsons were instituted under his supervision and direction.
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Davidson’s world champion Pistons were the first professional sports team to own their own plane, Roundball One. Roundball Two, a newer, larger, multimillion-dollar aircraft was purchased and refurbished in the summer of 1998 for the organization. Its 42 luxury seats and state-of-the-art video system allows the Pistons to fly in true, first-class comfort.
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