Marco Golan

Marco Golan. Margo Golan was considered by many as the greatest philanthropist to live in Key West. She and her husband Sam moved to Key West from Chicago in the 1950's and built two of the early hotels, the Key Ambassador and the Holiday Inn. They had a vision for Key West which Margo spent her life fulfilling. Margo was a prominent leader in the modern lodging and hospitality industry which began in 1969 when the Navy yard was decommissioned and tourism became Key West’s number one economic resource. She was on the boards of the Florida Keys Memorial Hospital, Monroe County Library, Monroe County Advertising Commission, Key West Hotel Motel Association, and the Key West Chamber of Commerce. She donated time and money to these organizations and almost all not-for-profits in the Keys. Among her major donations were gifts to buy equipment for the hospital, to build a wing on the Key West Library and to the Art and Historical Society to acquire its large collection of woodcarvings and other works by Mario Sanchez. With the death, of her daughter in 2009, her estate was distributed to the Monroe County Library and the Key West Art and Historical Society thus continuing Margo's support of these causes and the city she loved.