Willard Lawson Radcliff (December 20, 1939 – September 18, 2014) was an American businessman who created the Slush Puppie, a frozen slush drink.^[1] He also founded Slush Puppie Corp. in 1970, which grew to $25 million in worldwide annual sales by 1999.^[2][3] In 2000, Radcliff sold Slush Puppie to Cadbury Schweppes for $16.6 million.^[2] Slush Puppie was acquired by J & J Snack Foods in 2006.^[2]

Life and career

Radcliff was born on December 20, 1939, in Dayton, Kentucky, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[2] He graduated from Cincinnati's Western Hills High School in 1958.^[2] Prior to founding Slush Puppie, Radcliff held jobs as a shoe shiner at a country club, a vacuum cleaner salesman and a peanut seller.^[4][2]

As the Slush Puppie Corp. expanded, Radcliff added additional products, including Thelma's frozen lemonade, Pacific Bay Smooth-E, and Lanikai Frozen Cocktail.^[2]

In the 1980s, Radcliff became interested in land surrounding Umatilla, Florida, while visiting friends in the 1980s.^[3] He acquired approximately 3,594 acres of wilderness and pasture land when "was nothing there but lots of cattle," according to his daughter, DeeAnn Radcliff Harmon.^[3][5] Radcliff regularly flew in a private plane between his home in Ohio and his ranch in Central Florida.^[3] He called it Radcliff's Fly'n R Ranch, located in Lake and Marion counties.^[3] He built a 19,990-square-foot barn complete with a lumber mill, to saw the wooden boards used to construct his ranch house.^[3]

Radcliff became seriously interested in land conservation following the sale of Slush Puppie for $16.6 million in 2000.^[3] Much of the Floridian land which Radlciff owned had been drained for cattle ranching or pasture land. Radcliff oversaw the restoration of much of the land to a more natural state and completed most of the work himself.^[3] He dredged his marshes to restore area lakes, which created habitat for ospreys, waterfowl and wading birds.^[3]

Under an agreement, 3,106 acres of his ranch was passed to the state-owned St. Johns River Water Management District upon his death in 2014.^[3] Negotiations between Radcliff and St. Johns River Water Management District officials took years to complete.^[3] A provision allowing Radcliff to remain on the ranch led to a final agreement, in which Radlciff received $5.2 million for the future rights to his land.^[5] The 3,105 acres will be turned into a Florida state-owned water and wildlife sanctuary.^[3] Water Management District see Radcliff's ranch as a key corridor connecting the Ocala National Forest, Lake Griffin State Park, and the Ocklawaha River.^[3] The remaining 500 acres of his ranch, including his home, will remain the property of his estate, with an easement to prohibit the development of the land.^[3]

Will Radcliff died in Cincinnati, Ohio, from complications of a fall on September 18, 2014, at the age of 74.^[2][3] He was survived by his daughter, DeeAnn Radcliff Harmon; son, Chris Radcliff; his brother; and four grandchildren.^[2]

References