Eugene Baxter Webb

Eugene Baxter Webb of Palm Beach, Florida, died Saturday, June 10, 2017. He was 88. Baxter was born September 13, 1928 in Hapeville, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb. He graduated from Boys High School in Atlanta in 1946 and from the University of Georgia in 1950, and from Cornell University in 1956, with a degree in Hotel Management. At the University of Georgia, he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity as well as a cheerleader.

He served in the US Army's 4th Division Tank Platoon from 1951-1953 as a lieutenant in the Korean War. He served in Germany. After his service, he returned to work at the Cloister Hotel on Sea Island, Georgia. The manager suggested Baxter get a degree in Hotel Administration, which he did, and his life's career was set. His first job was with Laurance Rockefeller at Caneel Bay on St. John, Virgin Islands as an assistant manager. When Estate Good Hope Hotel was purchased by Mr. Rockefeller on St. Croix, Baxter became its opening manager. His hotel career began, and for 40 years, Baxter specialized in boutique hotels in different locations. Among them were The Deerfield Inn (Deerfield, Massachusetts,) The Princeton Inn (Princeton, New Jersey,) The Caravanserai (St. Maarten Dutch West Indies), The Ocean Manor (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,) The King & Prince Hotel (St. Simons Island, Georgia), and several country clubs in Memphis, Tennessee, and Tucson, Arizona.

When retirement living became a new concept, Baxter managed facilities in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1988, at the age of 60, he moved to Japan to introduce retirement living into the Japanese culture. It was a joint venture of Beverly Enterprises and Shimuzu Corporation. It proved to be well received, with 12 facilities built during Baxter's seven years in Japan. Baxter and Ann both loved to travel and during their marriage, they visited many countries and traveled around the world five times. In 1996, Baxter retired to Palm Beach and enjoyed his years in retirement with Ann.

He was active in the Palm Beach community with the Royal Poinciana Church, The Four Arts, the United Way, the English-Speaking Union, Cornell Alumni Association, and other organizations during these years. They continued to travel during retirement until Baxter's health declined.

He is survived by his wife, Ann Clark Webb. They were married 54 years. Other survivors include his twin brother, Lamar T. Webb (St. Simons Island, Georgia), his sister, Fay W. Anderson (Richard) of Savannah, Georgia. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Ethel and Gene Webb, and his sister-in-law, Bettye Jane Webb. A graveside service will be conducted in the cemetery of the historic Christ Church on St. Simons Island, Georgia on Saturday, July 1, 2017 at 10:30 AM.

Memorial donations may be made to The Royal Poinciana Chapel, 60 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach, Florida 33480 http://royalpoincianachapel.org or the Town of Palm Beach United Way, 44 Cocoanut Row, Suite M201, Palm Beach, Florida 33480, http://www.palmbeachunitedway.org