The Constance D. Hunter Historic Pacetti Hotel Museum is named in honor of Constance D. Hunter. Mrs. Hunter was the founder of the Paul B. Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation which provided the Preservation Association a sizeable grant in support of the four-year Restoration, Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Museum Development Project which transformed the abandoned Pacetti Hotel into the public museum it is today.
Constance Hunter was born in 1923 in Devizes, England, a small town located ninety miles west of London. Noted for its sense of community, historic markets, and its proximity to Stonehenge, it was perhaps here that Connie Hunter, as those who knew her called her, developed her spirit of giving. As a young woman in England, she volunteered in bomb shelters throughout the Second World War. In these shelters she would comfort and entertain young children during such a traumatic experience. Later in life she is reported to have shared just how terrible the daily bombings were. Following the conclusion of the war, Constance Hunter went to Austin’s Business College in nearby Bath, England. She was soon working as a secretary when she met Paul.
After getting married and moving to the United States with Paul, the Hunters eventually settled in California. Paul had become a founding member of the San Francisco company Varian Associates. As a patent attorney, Paul handled matters relating to the Silicon Valley company’s patents and intellectual property records.
Upon retirement, the Hunters moved to Ponce Inlet in the 1970s. Here Mrs. Hunter instantly became involved with the local community and contributed to various causes and organizations. She generously supported the local garden club, the town of Ponce Inlet itself, as well as our very own Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association. She also became a founding member of the Ponce Inlet Lions Club, a group focused on serving local communities while encouraging humanitarian causes.
A few years after the passing of her husband in 1980, Constance Hunter established the Paul Benwood Hunter Memorial Scholarship, awarded to engineering students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Mrs. Hunter served on the Board of Visitors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University from 2002 to 2011, where she supported and advocated for the education of women. In 2007 she also established the Constance D. Hunter Scholarship for Women, aiming to providing aid to female students.
Constance Hunter passed away on February 23rd, 2014. Upon her death, she bequeathed one-million-dollars to her two scholarships at Embry-Riddle. Her foundation that started in 2007, the Paul B. Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation, continued her legacy of giving. In the almost-seven years since her passing, her foundation has donated to and supported the causes of institutions from all over the country, including medical research, housing for veterans, animal protection, historic preservation, at-risk youth education, environmental preservation, and much more.
Just in our own community, her foundation has helped financially support our lighthouse as well as the Marine Science Center next door. Her foundation has purchased both a fire truck and an ambulance for the town and also provided half of the funding necessary for the construction of the town’s Community Center. The current Paul B. Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation has done a tremendous job of ensuring that Connie Hunter’s legacy and spirit of giving lives on. It was no surprise when a traditional English garden constructed near the main entrance of the town’s Timucuan Oaks Park was dedicated to Mrs. Hunter in recognition of her significant impact on the local community.
