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David C. Falk, Sr.
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NEWPORT NEWS - David Coleman
Falk, Sr., 78 years old, passed away on the 14th of April 2014 at Wake Med
Hospital in Raleigh, NC. after a long illness.
David was born on the 19th of October 1935 in Newport News, VA to Emanuel
and Jean Berman Falk. David was born and raised in Newport News, VA. He
graduated from Newport News High School in Newport News, VA in 1953 where he
played football and participated in track & field.
A Farmer at heart, David began farming when he was in high school by growing
vegetables on a vacant lot next to his parent's home where he had a
vegetable stand.
He joined the Marines in 1957 and was part of the Reserve for 8 years. He
attended the University of Wisconsin where he received a BS in Dairy
Husbandry in 1957. His Father gave him $5,000 to cover his four years for
room and board, but he decided to "indulge in a bit of extracurricular
tycoonery" by purchasing a rooming house. |
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David C. Falk, Sr. |
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Over the summer
break he refurbished the house while living on the front porch and rented it to
students. With the profit he made he bought 47 acres of land and subdivided it
into 3 lots and sold it at a profit and then bought another rooming house. By
the time he graduated he left Wisconsin with a profit even after paying for his
education. His story was told in Time Magazine in December.
He originally went to the University of Wisconsin to play football, but decided
to join the crew team which went to the Olympic trials. He was also a member of
the Track and Field team. After graduation, he returned to Virginia and
established a dairy farm named Kingsmill Farm in Williamsburg, VA. He farmed the
land and milked the cows until his father said, "I'm tired of you milking your
cows during the day and milking me at night". So, reluctantly he came to work
with his father at Drucker & Falk in 1964.
He moved to Raleigh in the late 60's with his eye on the potential for apartment
development. His first apartment development in Raleigh was Montecito Apartments
followed by Montecito West, Shellbrook, Fairway, Tapers, The Groves, Fairgate,
to name a few. He expanded his expertise to other areas of the triangle
including Wake Forest, Knightdale, Cary, Apex and Morrisville. His active role
in the company helped to expand Drucker & Falk's footprint throughout the
Southeast from Virginia to Florida. He was instrumental in making the company
what it is today: a successful property management company in the southeast.
David Falk never lost his passion for the dairy industry and its people. One of
his favorite things to do was to find a spot in one of his barns or pastures,
surrounded by cows, and just sit and ponder, often chewing on a cigar. A
purchase of embryos as a donation to North Carolina State led to his
acquaintance with Dr. Mitch Hockett, and the two joined forces to form Kingsmill
Farm II in Durham, NC upon his retirement from Drucker & Falk. Kingsmill Farm II
was a primary buyer of cattle and embryos - both publicly and privately - for
several years, thus providing an infusion of income for many dairy farmers. The
herd received several All-American nominations during its tenure, with its most
notable show-ring achievement the Intermediate Championship of Red-Vision Dis
Della-Red in the International Red-and-White Show in 2005.
Consignment sales hosted by the farm were some of the 'go-to' events in the
mid-2000s, and saw cattle sold from coast-to-coast. It is rare to pick up a sale
catalog today and not see cattle developed by Kingsmill or with a Kingsmill
prefix somewhere in the pedigree.
It would be fair to say (and Mr. Falk would approve!) that he didn't die, he
just wore out, because every day was lived to the fullest. He was large in
stature, large in the way his mind worked, and at any minute he could burst out
into a roar of laughter, often at himself and some miscue. In one five-minute
span, the conversation could range from genomics to the Chinese economy to the
Roman Empire to Madison to male-female relationships to milk processing to his
beloved collie, Chief, to what was the hot stock on Wall Street or in Tokyo. And
then he would top that off with a discussion on who had the best barbeque in
some small town, so you could listen in and see what interesting property might
be coming on the market, and then the question "Do you have time to go get a
bite?"
Mr. Falk could be a challenge to deal with, but only because he expected himself
to rise to many challenges. He had a fierce competitive spirit that followed him
from his years on the rowing team at UWM to his business dealings.
Along with his role in the dairy industry, Mr. Falk supported a variety of
philanthropic and humanitarian causes during his lifetime, both in the states,
and internationally. Most recently, he was excited about some promising advances
in cancer and Alzheimer's research which he was supporting financially. He did
see his wish for a branded dairy product come true, with the introduction of
Cultured Cow cheddars in 2012; he was pleased to be joined in that effort by a
grandson, Dexter Tillett.
David Falk was a visionary with an unlimited imagination, and an even more
unlimited determination to see that vision through to fruition. Even if the
original vision didn't materialize as first dreamed, he relished the challenges
that caused growth along the way, and change resulted He has patents
specializing in mechanical devices for farming. He was named the Man of the Year
for the Jewish Community in the 70s. He held numerous board memberships in
non-profits including being President of the Advisory Board of Meredith College,
President of United Jewish Appeal and President of St. Augustine College to name
a few.
David was preceded in death by his parents, Emanuel and Jean Falk. David is
survived by his son, David Falk, Jr.; his daughters, Kellie Falk and her fiancé,
Joseph Patterson; Amy Weinberger and her husband, Steve Weinberger; and Kim
Tillett; as well as his grandchildren, Dexter, Hudson, Rachel, Erin and Jacob.
A memorial service will be held at Beth Meyer Synagogue, 504 Newton Road at
10:30 am on Thursday, April 17th followed by burial services at the Hebrew
Cemetery, 450 N. State Street.
The family will be greeting friends and relatives at Beth Meyer Synagogue on
Thursday, April 17th at 7:30 pm for Shiva service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to a
charitable organization of your choice. Condolences may be sent through
www.brownwynnemillbrook.com. View and post
condolences on our online guestbook at
dailypress.com/guestbooks.
Published in Daily Press on April 16, 2014.
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