Bill Davidson was remembered fondly for his charitable giving to numerous organizations and schools during his life. He was one of Michigan’s most notable philanthropists, responsible for more than $200 million in donations to local and international charities and universities.
At his funeral service, Rabbi Eric S. Yanoff said Davidson was a “leader, a builder of this community.”
“He was dedicated to support so many worthy causes,” the rabbi said.
He gave $30 million to start the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. In addition to the Institute, Davidson gave millions to the university and was one of U-M’s biggest donors.
Davidson endowed the William Davidson chair in Business Administration, which is currently held by Kenneth Lieberthal, a WDI board member. In 2007, Davidson endowed a chair to honor his longtime friend and WDI board member Tom Lantos. WDI Executive Director Robert Kennedy holds that chair.
He also donated millions for construction of new facilities and building improvements at the business school and around campus. Fittingly, the main gathering place at the newly-opened Ross School of Business has been named the Davidson Winter Garden in his honor. The glass-enclosed public space facilitates gatherings both big and small of students and faculty, and is the figurative and literal center of Ross’ collaborative learning community.
“Bill Davidson was one of the leading philanthropists to the University of Michigan in the second half of the 20th century,” said Jerry May, vice president for development at U-M. “He set the pace with an enormous $30 million gift in the early 1990s that raised the bar for large gifts that followed. Although Bill was a great advisor to several deans of the business school, presidents, and athletic directors, he was nevertheless a very humble man who often avoided recognition for his giving.
“The University of Michigan is very proud and grateful to have benefited from his leadership and caring.”
In 1997, Davidson was honored for his philanthropy by the Council of Michigan Foundations, and also named one of America’s most generous donors by the New York Times.
As was noted at his funeral, Jewish causes were a favorite focus of his time and money.
In 2007, Davidson and his wife, Karen, gave $75 million to the Hadassah University Medical Center at Ein Kerem in Jerusalem. The gift is being used to build an in-patient wing at the hospital, and was given in honor of Davidson's mother – the founder of the Detroit chapter of the Hadassah Women's Zionist Organization – Sarah Wetsman Davidson.
The Davidsons also supported the Israel Antiquities Authority, sponsoring archaeological digs around the southern wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which have been named the "Davidson excavations" in tribute to the couple's generosity.
Davidson was the founder of the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, called “Israel’s most important antiquity site.” Davidson also established the Ethan and Marla Davidson Exhibition and Virtual Reconstruction Center, in honor of his two children, at the entrance of the park.
“Bill’s philanthropic work in Israel has enabled excavation of a major section of the wall around the First Temple and the surrounding area, vastly enhancing the immediacy of the extraordinary history of that locality for the many thousands who visit it,” said Kenneth Lieberthal, the William Davidson Professor of Business Administration at the Ross School.
The Davidsons also gifted $15 million to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. In 2001, the Weizmann Institute awarded Davidson an honorary doctorate in 2001.
Davidson also funded the graduate school of Conservative Judaism's Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and was a contributor to the Wexner Foundation, giving grants to post-graduate students of Jewish studies.
Other organizations and municipalities that have benefited from his generosity include the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Children’s Research Center of Michigan, and the city of Detroit’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“Bill’s strong support of both culture and sports in the United States enriched the lives of millions of Americans,” Lieberthal said. “In short, Bill Davidson brought insight, passion, and wisdom to understanding those things that made the past great, enriched current experiences, and moved the future in a better direction.
“He used his resources to benefit countless thousands of people through his resulting efforts.”