“He never looked back, didn’t second guess, never talked about regrets; he was always forward looking. [He believed that you] make the best bets you can, then you get going.” One of Michigan’s Pioneering Philanthropists As Davidson grew Guardian Industries into a successful and profitable company, he felt compelled to give back. Over the course of his career, he became one of Michigan’s most notable philanthropists, donating more than $200 million to organizations around the world. Examples of his generosity abound. On the international level, Davidson and his wife, Karen, funded significant projects for Jewish causes in Israel. These included a $75 million gift to the Hadassah University Medical Center at Ein Kerem in Jerusalem, funding to develop an Israeli science school in Rehovot, and sponsorship of archaeological digs conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority at the southern wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. The latter effort was named the “Davidson Excavations” in tribute to the couple’s generosity. The business leader also endowed the graduate school of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. In his home state, besides giving $30 million to establish WDI at U-M in 1992, he donated millions more for the construction of new facilities and building improvements at the business school and around campus. The main gathering place at the Ross School is named the Davidson Winter Garden in his honor. He also endowed a professorship there. Detroit organizations that benefited from Davidson’s generosity include the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, the Children’s Research Center of Michigan and the city of Detroit’s Parks and Recreation Department. Another gift from Davidson helped create Karen and William Davidson share a laugh along with his daughter Marla Karimipour. An Inspiring Leader 10 William Davidson Institute