Give to the David Mackie Memorial Endowed Scholarship for EMS & Fire Science

Established by friends and colleagues in memory of David "Mack-Daddy" Mackie, an emergency medical technician pursuing a degree in fire science, to provide financial assistance to students enrolled in Emergency Medical Service or Fire Safety programs. 

The "Mack-Daddy" got his nickname from his fellow firefighters. The name came about because of his strong English accent. He used his new nickname to tell everyone he had developed his own secret recipe for "Mack-Daddy Dip." Although he told everyone it was a complicated recipe, it really was just Pace Picante salsa and Velveeta cheese.

Mackie was born in Orlando and moved to the Deltona area in 1987 from Dovercourt‚ England. He began his fire career as a volunteer firefighter at Station 31 when he was only 17.  He was known around the firehouse for his humor‚ jokes and his easy-going‚ fun-loving attitude. After being nominated as secretary for the volunteer firefighters fund at Station 31‚ he took a lot of ribbing about being a male secretary, so Mackie took action. He arrived at the next quarterly meeting in a blue dress with black polka dots and had the whole room roaring with laughter! This is just one of the many jokes he pulled. Even after being appointed to lieutenant and given new responsibilities‚ he still found a way to be just one of the guys.

After years with the fire department, Mackie went to work for EVAC Ambulance‚ where he became a lead medic. He made a lot of friends during his time there and will always be remembered for his kindness‚ thoughtfulness and selfless work for others. Mackie spent about eight years with EVAC and working as a medic for the Daytona International Speedway before he decided to go back to the fire department as a firefighter paramedic.

He was in Seminole State's Fire Safety program working toward the completion of his fire standards certification when he passed away from a sudden cardiac event caused by an undiagnosed heart defect. Though he was taken from us, his memory will live on in each of us‚ for we all have our own unique memories of the wonderful man who was‚ indeed‚ the "Mack-Daddy."

Additional Information

 Thank you to the following donors who support this scholarship:

• Kelly Calabro
• Matthew Cohen
• Karen Feldman
• Mark Fisher
• Laurie Morganteen
• Orlando Health
• Elisa Rohr