JSU News Wire

Jacksonville State University's David L. Walters Department of Music will hold a remembrance service for the late Dr. William Jerryl Davis at 3 p.m. on June 11 in the Performance Center of Mason Hall.

Dr. Davis, who died May 10, was an associate professor of music and taught woodwinds at JSU for 31 years. The university band staff considered him to be one of the strongest faculty supporters of the Marching Southerners, and a band member said there have been nearly 10,000 viewings of postings about Dr. Davis on their Internet discussion board in recent weeks.

"He always had time to look over an arrangement, guide you through the rough spots or decisions in life and help you fix, or maybe prevent, some of the 'stupid errors' we all make during our college years," said Marching Southerners' 1986 alumnus Alan Armstrong.

A native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Davis was born September 15, 1945, the son of the late Harold Douglas Davis and Clina Mae (Henderson) Davis. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Hopkinsville. He was a member of the Phi Mu Alpha, the International Double Reed Society, and was the organist at Grace Episcopal Church, Anniston, Ala. He is survived by his twin brother, Douglas Darryl Davis, Hopkinsville, Ky.

His educational background included the B.M. degree (1967) from Murray State University and the M.M. degree (1968), the Performer's Certificate in oboe (1974), and the D.M.A. degree (1977) all from the Eastman School of Music. His teachers have included David Gowans, Robert Sprenkle, Henry Schuman, and Robert Bloom.

Dr. Davis was a lecturer in music and managed the Cornell University Orchestras under Dr. Karel Husa from 1968-1973 and from 1974-1975. He served as the principal oboist for the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (1983-1994), the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra (1981-1982), and the Rome, Georgia Symphony Orchestra (1975-1998).

Donations are being accepted for the Davis Memorial Double-Reed Scholarship Fund. Checks should be made payable to the JSU Foundation and contain the memo "Dr. Davis Scholarship Fund."

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