Carlton family contributes $500,000 Unity Park tower.

A $500,000 donation will name a memorial plaza at the Unity Park Honor Tower to memorialize first responders and military veterans who died in service. It also will serve as a place of honor for all who serve.

Greenville Mayor Knox White today announced the donation from Sharon Carlton and Heather Carlton-McInnis for the tower in honor of late community businessman and philanthropist Philip J. Carlton.

"Phil was a larger-than-life figure in our family and in our community with a passion for supporting law enforcement," said Heather's husband, David McInnis, who spoke on behalf of the Carlton family during the event. "The Carlton family is honored that a lasting part of our community will keep that legacy and memory alive."

The Philip J. Carlton Memorial Plaza was revealed at an event at Avenue attended by guests that included city, state and county officials; Unity Park donors; local law enforcement; first responders; and veterans.

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"Phil Carlton was an extraordinarily generous man who strongly supported the law enforcement community, felt compelled to ensure they had the equipment they needed to safely do their job, and provided for their families when they didn't make it home at their end of watch," Greenville Police Chief J.H. Thompson said in a news release.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1920, Carlton served in the military during World War II and then began a variety of successful business ventures, including a Ford dealership in New York, according to the news release. He later purchased a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Florida in 1974 before moving to Greenville and opening Carlton Motorcars in 1996.

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