Naples cultural and arts pioneer — and longtime ad exec — dies at 96

An advertising pioneer earlier in life, Myra Janco Daniels believed she had a lot left to offer when she moved to Naples some 40 years ago.

And her second act was a rousing success: Daniels, who lived by advice learned from her grandmother, to “create something people want and need and you’ll be successful,” is widely considered a chief reason Naples, over the past 25 years, has grown into a nationally recognized arts and cultural destination. That started with Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts and culminated with the Naples Museum of Art, projects Daniels was instrumental in bringing to life. (Widely known as the Phil, the Philharmonic is now Artis-Naples, while the museum is the Baker Museum.)