2022 SUNY Canton Hall of Fame Inductee: Donald F. Garrett '72
Donald F. Garrett '72
Don, a Carthage native and Civil Engineering Technology alumnus, graduated with an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in 1972. After graduation, he worked for Syracuse-based Perfetto and Whalen Construction Corp. 
In 1977, he relocated to Naples, Fla., and in 1981, went on to launch D. Garrett Construction, Inc., The company specializes in all aspects of construction for private golf and country clubs.
Don is the current owner of The Club at Gateway, a private 20-hole golf course, and the Club at Westminster, both located in Fort Myers, Fla.
He was a founding member of two banks, and he has been actively involved in a variety of corporate and civic organizations, serving as a former Board member of Synovus bank, the First Florida Bank, the Fifth Third Bank, and the YMCA of Collier County. Don is also the past president of the Naples Area Chamber of Commerce, the Contractor's Association of Collier County, The Pelican Bay Rotary Club, and The Easter Seal Society.
Last year, Don and his wife Jamie made a substantial pledge to the Canton College Foundation which will help future generations of students in the Canino School of Engineering Technology. Their charitable gift secured naming rights for the Civil Engineering Technology lab, a space commonly referred to as the concrete lab, was renamed the Don ’72 and Jamie Garrett Civil Engineering Technology Laboratory.
Don and Jamie’s gift will support the Civil Engineering Technology program and the Canton Fund. In addition, Don’s construction company pledged an additional sum, in support the college’s student steel bridge team.