The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with The Allen Morris Company, honored Robert J. Fewell as the recipient of the 6th Annual George E. Merrick Award of Excellence on Thursday evening, June 27th, at the historic Biltmore Hotel.
Robert J. Fewell has been an outstanding citizen of Coral Gables for more than seven decades. At the end of World War II, Robert Fewell left the Navy and enrolled in law school at the University of Miami. Working for the Keyes Company, Fewell had his first offices on Miracle Mile.
As a proud UM alumnus, Fewell studied the history of George Merrick and was thoroughly enthralled by his planning and development of The City Beautiful. Moreover, as his business grew, Fewell began to donate to his alma mater, first to athletics, and later to the UM School of Medicine. As time passed, Fewell became a well-known philanthropist, donating money to the Douglas Road and Miracle Mile Archways, donating land for Fewell Park, and contributing 2 million dollars for the construction of The Robert and Marian Fewell wing at the Coral Gables Museum.
Robert Fewell has been committed to rehabilitating and restoring properties in Coral Gables. These properties dot the landscape of the Coral Gables business community and remind us of the vision that Merrick originally created.
“It’s a great honor to receive such an amazing award after a pioneer who I admired and landscaped the blueprint of Coral Gables. To be nominated among an outstanding group of Distinguished Honorees is a privilege, because without Merrick, the Gables wouldn’t have flourished the way it has today,” said Robert J. Fewell, 2013 George E. Merrick Award recipient.
The George E. Merrick Award was founded by W. Allen Morris and The Allen Morris Company in 2008 to recognize and celebrate a visionary leader who has made a significant impact on the cultural celebration, promotion, beautification, preservation and economic growth of the City of Coral Gables.
“We are proud to have partnered with the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce the past six years for the annual award of recognizing excellence, in addition to continuing the tradition of honoring the founding father of Coral Gables, George Merrick, by highlighting and selecting a distinguished visionary leader for his or her outstanding contributions to the city,” said W. Allen Morris, Chairman, president and CEO of The Allen Morris Company.
The award was named after original visionary and founder of the City Beautiful, George Edward Merrick, who is also credited with the establishment of the University of Miami and Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce.
