NAPLES, Fla. — 96-year-old Myra Janco Daniels died in her home on Wednesday morning - three days before her 97th birthday.
Daniels founded the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in 1989 and served as CEO for the center. It is now known as Artis-Naples.
She also founded the Naples Museum of Art in 2000, which is now known as the Baker Museum.
Daniels was an acclaimed advertising executive in Chicago before she retired in the 1980s and came down to Southwest Florida. According to a press release, this is when she discovered her “great hunger for the arts.”
A driving force behind the creation of the alvation Army Fran Cohen Youth Center on Airport Road, Daniels also founded the Latchkey League fundraising group.
Daniels consulted on projects for Ave Maria University and Florida Gulf Coast University. At FGCU, the building that houses the WGCU TV and radio studios is called the Myra Janco Daniels Public Media Center.
Daniels held the belief that, “Every private citizen has a public responsibility,” as she put it.
A memorial celebration for Daniels will be held at a later date.
