Polly Davidson, Gave To Many Charities, 77
DGH
Polly (Figg) Davidson, a faithful contributor to numerous charitable causes in
Boston and Florida, died March 30 of breast cancer in her home in Palm Beach,
Florida, at the age of 77.
''She had the ability to reach out to people,'' said her daughter Jacqueline
Ralston of Cohasset. ''She had an unbelievable Rolodex. I admired how she was
able to keep in touch with even friends from grade school.''
Mrs. Davidson served on the boards of the Wang Center for the Performing Arts,
the Boston [Massachusetts] Ballet, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, among other
organizations in Boston. She divided her time between homes in Boston, where she
had lived since 1964, and Palm Beach, where she had been a resident since 1958.
''She gave generously to all of her organizations,'' said Ann Sargent, vice
president of the Buddy Dog Humane Society, one of many charities Mrs. Davidson
embraced. ''She knew a lot of people, and she was always able to get them to
attend our events.''
In Palm Beach, Mrs. Davidson served on the boards of the Historical Society, the
Leukemia Society, and the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League.
Born in New York City, she was the daughter of the late Edith S. Figg and E.
Howard Figg. Her father was an assistant US attorney general during the Woodrow
Wilson administration.
Mrs. Davidson attended Greenwich Academy and The Ethel Walker School in
Connecticut, and Briarcliffe College in New York.
In 1945, she married Emilio Tagle, a Chilean diplomat and polo player. He died
in 1960. The couple had two daughters, Jacqueline and Terry Monell of Palm
Beach, and a son, Chips Tagle, who died in 1957.
Mrs. Davidson married Gerald Blakeley Jr., then president of Cabot, Cabot &
Forbes, in 1964. The couple had a daughter, Amanda Blakeley of Washington, DC,
and divorced in 1981.
In 1987, she married Joseph Davidson.
A lover of boating and water activities, Mrs. Davidson often navigated her
36-foot yacht, accompanied by a friend, along the inland waterway from Florida
to Cape Cod.
Mrs. Davidson enjoyed meeting new people and exploring new places. She traveled
to South America, India, Africa, and Europe. Her daughter said the most
memorable of her travels was a family trip to Turkey.
''She had maps, in both homes, with pins on the places that she had been,''
Ralston said. ''She appreciated different cultures. She wanted to absorb the
flavor of the country she was in.''
Mrs. Davidson's ashes were scattered over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off
Palm Beach, Florida.
F.