74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesFormer St. Thomas Hotelier Frank Hope Davis Buried in Arlington National

Former St. Thomas Hotelier Frank Hope Davis Buried in Arlington National

April 5, 2007 – Former St. Thomas Hotel proprietor Frank Hope Davis died in Treasure Island, Fla., on February 20. Along with his wife, Mary, Frank lived on St. Thomas for more than 35 years, where they managed the Danish Chalet Inn on Solberg for almost 20 years. They moved to Florida three years ago.
Tom Thompson, a friend of the Davises for many years, shared some memories Thursday, speaking from his Ann Arbor, Mich., home where he said he was gazing at snow and thinking of Caribbean sun. He has been visiting St. Thomas since 1955.
Thompson said he and his wife, Judy, celebrated Frank and Mary's 61st wedding anniversary with them this year in early February, when they renewed their vows.
This seems a natural, Thompson said, because the Davises stood up for he and Judy, when they were married here in 1990. He said a few years before that, they had picked out the Danish Chalet from a hotel magazine that included a picture of the Davises standing in front. "They look like nice people," Thompson recalls saying. "Let's stay there." And, as they say, it turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as the Thompsons spent every vacation there until the Davises moved.
"We met lots of interesting people on that front porch," Thompson said. The Davises were known in the community for their warmth and humor, which they extended to guests and locals alike.
Thompson praised Davis' "wry sense of humor." He said of his friend: "He will be missed by all his friends and colleagues. Frank was a good and kind ally for all those who knew him."
He was an avid fisherman, sailor, boat builder and writer, along with being a hotel proprietor, Thompson recalled. "He wrote for a lot of travel magazines."
One of the Davises' last ventures involving writing was not Frank's but an essay contest they staged in order to sell the Danish Chalet. Entrants were asked to say in 150 words why they would like to own the Chalet, and submit the essay with $100, to become the new owner of the popular, historic inn.
The first contest was offered in 1995, but, shortly after that, Hurricane Marilyn came along and the contest went to the four winds, almost along with the inn. They advertised it again in 2000, making use of the Internet (See "Local Inn to Be Prize in Essay Contest").
As it turned out, they eventually sold the inn in the usual way.
Born in Cleveland, Frank served in the 8th Air Force Wing in World War II. He graduated from the prestigious Cornell University hotel school and had a distinguished 63-year career in the hotel business. Before buying the Danish Chalet, they operated Pelican Beach Club, near Sapphire Beach. He was Host International vice president for public relations, before moving to the island.
Davis is survived by his wife, Mary; daughter, Lynda Davis Blankley; two sons, John of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and Jack of Cardiff, Calif.; and five grandchildren, along with a host of friends, including the many people who made the Danish Chalet their return vacation home year after year.
A memorial service was held for Davis in Treasure Isle, and another will be held in California. His ashes will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Back Talk

Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.