[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 161 (Thursday, December 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JACK WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM DAVIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 15, 2005

  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Jack Wilson, a 
prominent real estate developer, who helped the Tampa Bay area evolve 
into the vibrant, bustling community it is today.
  Born in Royston, Georgia, Jack earned his bachelor's degree from the 
Georgia Institute of Technology and his master's degree from Harvard 
Business School. He came to Tampa in the 1970's as Florida president of 
the Landmarks Group, but soon he was developing important projects 
through his own company, the Wilson Co.
  Jack rapidly put his mark on Tampa. The cofounder and first president 
of the Westshore Alliance, Jack helped turn this area around and make 
Westshore a hub of business activity. Jack also worked on revitalizing 
Tampa's downtown, renovating the Franklin Exchange and a number of 
office towers. Thousands of Tampa Bay residents have come to know 
Jack's projects--whether they work in Bayport Plaza or Cypress Center, 
have visited the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, or reside in one of the 
thousands of affordable rental housing units that Jack built.
  Tampa's sports fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jack as well. He 
supervised the construction of the New York Yankees Legends Field, 
helped secure public funding for Raymond James Stadium and headed up 
the task force that brought Super Bowl XXXV to Tampa.
  But Jack was always focused on more than just building his business. 
He also cared deeply about building up his community, and it showed in 
the quality of his work, the foresight in his development plans and the 
attention he paid to the impact of his projects on the environment. In 
fact, Jack was the first developer to receive an award from the Tampa 
Audubon Society.
  Jack served Tampa's business community as well, working as chairman 
of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and the Tampa Bay Partnership 
and volunteering his time for a long list of other business and 
charitable organizations. In 2001, he was inducted into the Tampa Bay 
Business Hall of Fame.
  Those who had the privilege of getting to know Jack will remember his 
generosity, his Southern charm, his thoughtfulness and his constant 
willingness to help others. There is no doubt about it--Jack had an 
enormous amount of class. On behalf of the residents of Tampa Bay, I 
would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Jack's family. His legacy 
will live on not only in the structures he built but in the community 
he improved.

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