Longtime ABC executive Preston Davis died on Monday, April 15, at the age of 63.
Davis was the retired president of broadcast operations & engineering.
Davis first joined joined ABC in 1976 as an engineer in Washington, DC., subsequently moving into various field and studio operations positions in Atlanta and New York. In 1988 he was promoted to VP, television operations, East Coast, where he directed studio and field operations, electronic news gathering, telecommunications and the RF Operations & Engineering Group. In 1993 he was promoted to lead ABC's Broadcast Operations & Engineering, making him the first African-American president of any Capital Cities/ABC division in the history of the company.
He retired in 2011.
"For 35 years at ABC, Preston was a mentor and an advisor to so many of us, but most importantly a dear friend. He led by example and was the true definition of integrity," said Anne Sweeney, cochair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group. "Our thoughts are with Preston's wife, Michelle, and their children, Ashley and Preston III. I hope they know how very much Preston will be missed by his ABC family."
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 20 at 10 a.m. at the Woodland Community Church in Bradenton, Fla. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Center for Building Hope.
