Grace Vera Davis
Grace Vera Davis was a teacher, wife, mother, and religious devotee, who has left a legacy of educated women in her family. One of her most notable achievements was obtaining a Master’s degree from Midwestern University in 1954.
Early Life
Grace Davis Cox was born in Brown County, Texas, in 1898 to parents John Thomas Cox and Viola Magdaline Cummings.[1] She was the fourth of eleven children born to her parents.[1] Not much is known about her early life. By 1910, the family had moved from Brown County to Coleman in Coleman County, Texas.[1] By 1920 the family had moved to Foard County, where Davis lived for the rest of her life.
Family and Community Involvement
On December 23, 1921, Grace married Audran Lenior Davis.[2] Grace and Audran’s first child, Margaret Geneva Davis, was born in 1926. Her sister, Pauline Davis, was born on October 21, 1928.[2]
Before 1938, Audran Davis was a small cotton farmer.[3] In 1938, Audran ran for the position of county commissioner and won, serving two terms until 1943, when he was elected as the sheriff of Foard County.[4]
Grace held several positions in local organizations around Crowell. In 1935, she was the chairman of the Foard County Home Demonstration Council as part of the 4-H club.[5] In 1944 she served as the Sewing Chairman of the Foard County War Production Committee. As Sewing Chairman, she helped to organize and oversee sewing drives to make utility kits for the Red Cross to send to soldiers fighting in World War II.[6] She also held membership with a masonic lodge. She was also a regular attendee of services at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in nearby Vernon, Texas.[7]
The rest of the family was also incredibly socially prominent. For example, Audran was a member of the Rotary Club, as well as a Scout Master for his local Boy Scouts of America Troop.[8] In 1944, he was also elected treasurer of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.[9]
Education and Career
It is unclear when Grace obtained her bachelor’s degree. The degree she received was from Midwestern University, sometime before 1952, but the exact degree she received and the year she received it are unknown.[7]
In both the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Censuses, Grace is listed as a housewife who is not seeking work.[3] [10]Sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s she began her teaching career in Gilliland, Texas, teaching elementary school before transferring to the elementary school in Crowell in 1952.[11]
After Audran died in 1949, Grace began pursuing her Master’s degree in 1952 through an extension program offered by Midwestern University at Crowell High School.[12] She completed her degree in 1954.[13] Again, it is unclear what her exact degree was in.
She continued teaching in Crowell at both the elementary and high school levels until her retirement in 1963, due to complications from a hip injury.[7][14]
Post-Retirement
After her retirement in 1963, there is very little record of her life until her death in 1990. The records that there are indicate she was still active in her community, specifically through community service.
In her retirement, she spent a lot of time pursuing her creative hobbies, including painting china, quilting, and crocheting.
Legacy
Grace Vera Davis was an average woman. While she made no significant contributions to the betterment of mankind, her legacy of education and material objects is still important to her surviving family. There are several heirlooms that she left to her family, as shown here. These objects still hold a great deal of sentimental value to her surviving family today. In addition, the legacy of education she left is significant. Grace’s daughter, Pauline Davis Adams and her granddaughter, Barbara Adams Hill, both obtained at least Bachelor’s degrees.[15][16]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Grace Vera Cox". ident.familysearch.org. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cox Family Bible. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "United States Census, 1930". FamilySearch. 1930.
- ↑ "Audran L. Davis Succumbs Early Monday Night". Foard County News. March 10, 1949. p. 1.
- ↑ "H.D. and 4-H Club Activities". Foard County News. December 5, 1935. p. 11.
- ↑ "Red Cross Makes Challenge to Ladies of Foard". Foard County News. September 21, 1944. p. 1.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Davis, Crowell". Newspapers.com. August 4, 1990. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "Locals". Foard County News. May 25, 1944. p. 5.
- ↑ "I.I.O.F. Elects Officers Last Week". Foard County News. December 14, 1944. p. 1.
- ↑ "U.S. Census, 1940". FamilySearch. 1940.
- ↑ "Fall Term of Crowell High School To begin on Monday September 1st: Two Changes Made in Faculty". Foard County News. August 14, 1952. p. 1.
- ↑ "Midwestern Division of Extension Opens New Class at CHS". Foard County News. October 16, 1952. p. 7.
- ↑ "Crowell Teachers to Receive Degrees". Times Record News. August 9, 1954. p. 8.
- ↑ "Personals". Foard County News. November 28, 1963. p. 5.
- ↑ "11 Sep 1954, 18 - Times Record News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "25 Mar 1971, Page 10 - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
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