Daniel S. Blalock Jr. ’53

Dan died Dec. 9, 2017, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, which was first diagnosed about 10 years ago.

Dan came to Princeton from Tampa, Fla., after graduating from the McCallie School. At Princeton he majored in history and wrote his thesis on “The Colonial Plantations of 18th-Century Virginia.” He was, appropriately, a member of Colonial Club.

After graduation he spent two years in the Army in Germany and one year at a Florida law school before returning to the real-estate business in Manatee County founded a century ago by his great-great-grandfather and playing a major role in the development of the area. Projects he was involved in included the expansion of the South Florida Museum and the Bishop Planetarium.

He was also involved in the creation of shopping centers, an industrial park, and luxurious residential homes along the Manatee River. It was said that “he helped change the face of Manatee County” through four decades. He also loved hunting and collecting antiques.

Dan’s first wife, Martha, died in 1989. He is survived by two children, two stepchildren, and his second wife, Paddy.