It is with great sadness that we report the passing of ACEER friend, former Board member, and philanthropist Chris Davidson. Chris passed peacefully on August 29th. His wife, Sharon Christoph, and his extended family were with him.
Chris was a passionate conservationist, traveling the world to document all known families of flowering plants. He founded Flora of the World and was the impetus behind the creation of the Idaho Botanical Garden. He served as an ACEER Board member for ten years and was instrumental in the creation of our strategic plans. Chris was a strong advocate for conservation education and capacity building, especially for Latin American students. His generosity has funded our Conservation Learning Web and our hugely successful Conservation Fellows program. In recognition of his lifelong commitment to conservation, Chris was awarded by the Board the 2020 ACEER Legacy Award.
ACEER President Jon Cox had a particularly close working relationship with Chris. Here are his reflections, “I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to get to know Chris and his wife Sharon personally over the past few years when they graciously brought the Ese’Eja exhibition to Boise State University. Each time I was in Boise, Chris and Sharon welcomed me into their home and cabin with open arms. Chris had a taste for interesting food and loved sharing that passion with others. He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to tell stories about his many travels around the globe, which often erupted into uncontrollable laughter around the dinner table. Chris will be greatly missed!”
Our condolences and thoughts go out to Sharon and the entire family.