Fonts, E. Larry
FONTS, E. Larry
Eladio Larry Fonts was born November 8, 1936, in Detroit, Michigan to Louise Fonte Fonts (born Tampa, Florida) and Eladio Fonts Y. Bartholomew (born Baracoa, Oriente Province, Cuba). Larry and his family moved to Miami at age 10.
At Miami Senior High, Larry soon became a star running back and as a junior became All-City and All-South. Miami High was a national football power and played the best teams throughout the South. In his senior year, Larry was elected captain on the state championship team and was selected again to All State and All South teams and earned the title of Florida's Mr. Football.
Although heavily recruited, Larry chose Georgia Tech because Coach Bobby Dodd promised his mother that Larry would get a great education. Larry played all four years for Coach Dodd.
Larry graduated from Georgia Tech with a BS in Industrial Management in 1959 and earned a Master in City Planning in 1961 while also coaching the Freshman team. He received a commission in the US Air Force through the ROTC program and served that commission at Kesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Larry began his city planning career in 1964 as Planning Director of Brevard County, Florida and moved to Atlanta in 1967 as Planning Director in Fulton County. He began his long career with non-profits, serving as Vice President of Planning at Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and then as President and CEO of Central Dallas Association. In Atlanta, Larry managed the CAP Urban Design Team, planned and managed construction of the Fairlie-Poplar project involving streetscapes and reconstruction of historic Wordruff Park and Margaret Mitchell Square. In Dallas, Larry created the first Tax Increment Financing District (1988), the first Public Improvement District (1990), the first Multi-Institutional Teaching Center (1994), and the first Transportation Management Association (1995). Larry also devised a housing policy and economic incentive programs that resulted in the construction of 12,500 residential units in downtown Dallas.
Larry's leadership activities included serving as Chairman of the International Downtown Associations, President of the Georgia Chapter of the American Institute of Certified Planners, President of the Texas Downtown Association, Director of the Dallas Art District Associations, Director of West End Associations, and Director of Dallas Association of Services to the Homeless.
Larry was a leader who could envision projects and bring them to fruition, from the revitalization of Downtown Atlanta and Dallas to the construction of a number of Atlanta parks, including Margaret Mitchell Square, Woodruff Park, Schepps Park, and Bark Park Central. Larry's expertise in transportation was the beginning point for MARTA (Atlanta) and DART, the Pegasus Parking System and the Emergency Ride Home Program in Dallas. Further, Larry's knowledge of funding streams helped both cities improve the downtown areas' physical landscapes and historic districts. Some of Larry's most memorable Dallas successes were the renovation of Pegasus atop the Magnolia Building, The McKinney Avenue Trolly and the development Downtown University Center in Dallas. The International Downtown Association honored Larry with its prestigious Award of Lifetime Achievement in 2004.
In 1968, Laurie Fonts (now Seabrooke) was born and this tiny, 3 pound baby, brought tremendous happiness and love into his life.
In April 1980, Larry married Patricia (Patsy Nichols) Fonts and merged her family of three girls Paige, Stacey, and Audrey Lefont with Laurie. Larry was the best of fathers to these four girls and gave each of them the flavor of love that each individually needed. Larry's role as a thoughtful, loving, caring, generous, and competent father was evident.
Larry was deeply appreciative of his marriages to Lucy Cole and to Joanne Grogan Fonts (Laurie's mother).
Larry was deeply and profoundly appreciative of his wife, Patsy, who loved and cared for him from the days prior to their marriage when he broke both elbows jumping over a tennis net to his last years dealing with Multiple Systems Atrophy. Larry Fonts is survived by Patricia Nichols Fonts (his wife); his daughters, Paige Lefont, Laurie Fonts Seabrooke and her husband, Alan (Ace)Seabrooke, Audrey Lefont, Stacey Lefont and her husband, Barry Biggar; and his grandchildren, Cole Lefont, Trey Seabrooke, Sean Seabrooke, Sarah Seabrooke, William Biggar, Annabel Biggar, and Juliet Biggar. Larry was also very grateful for all of his wonderful, professional caregivers. Larry has left his body to be used for research at Emory University Medical School. A donation in memory of Larry may be made to M4CF-Miles for Cystic Fibrosis (milesforcf.org). A memorial service will be held in Atlanta in late summer
