Thomas M. Davis

Thomas M. Davis, of Kent, Prof Emeritus of English at Kent State, died quietly at night on Oct.17, 2014. He was born on July 20, 1930, in Ashland, Kansas. The son of James R. Davis and Zettie G. Tilghman, he was the middle of three children. He experienced life on a Colorado farm as a boy but returned to Kansas with his mother when dust storms and the depression forced them back. Immediately after high school he joined the Navy and served two tours of duty in the Submarine Service, one in the Atlantic shortly after World War 2 and the other in the Pacific during the Korean War; he was discharged in 1953. Tom began his college studies at the Manhattan Bible College in Manhattan, Kansas, initially aiming toward a career in the church as a preacher, but on reconsidering he matriculated at Kansas State College, from which he earned his B.A. in 1957 and his M.A. in 1959. He also preached during those years at the Disciples of Christ Church in Glasco, Kansas, as he worked toward his degrees. On August 10, 1959, he married Virginia L. Eaton (Gina), commencing their long, active life together.

He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Virginia L. (Eaton) Davis. And by his former wife, Joyce Tyner and their three children: son, Michael Davis (Tricia) of Clairemore, OK; and two daughters, Cathy Davis Gryvalsky (Michael), and Connie Sue Davis. Also by three grandsons: Ryan Davis, Jason Gryvalsky and Sean Davis. He also leaves his devoted brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Roger and Donna Eaton of Albuquerque, NM. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Ralph Davis and Loyd Davis.

On receiving his M.A., Tom entered the Ph.D. program at the University of Missouri. And from 1965-1969, as he worked on his dissertation, he served as the Director of General Studies in English at Southern Illinois University, gaining experience he would value highly after earning the doctorate in 1968 and applying successfully for a position with the Department of English at Kent State University. By then, he had already published a book on Emily Dickinson and several essays on J. D. Salinger. Meanwhile he and Virginia were editing the manuscripts of Edward Taylor, a prominent Puritan poet to whose unpublished writings the young couple would devote many years of their lives, aiming to publish much of his work for the first time after the lengthy and arduous task of locating, cleaning, and editing the handwritten pages. Ultimately, these pages would be published in seven large, meticulously edited volumes as "The Unpublished Writings of Edward Taylor." With this work Prof. Davis helped pioneer early American literature as a distinct field of literary study; many of the leading scholars in the field today are his former students. As the prominent authority on Edward Taylor, he brought added distinction to the Kent State English Department through his intense work with Virginia's necessary assistance on Taylor's manuscripts. His many publications include his scholarly reading of Taylor's poems, entitled "A Reading of Edward Taylor" (1992) and several volumes of Taylor's work published with Virginia L. Davis: "Church Records and Related Sermons", "Edward Taylor vs. Solomon Stoddard", "Minor Poetry", and "Harmony of the Gospels."

From 1982-1984, Davis was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Thessaloniki in Greece. While there, he developed a faculty and graduate-student exchange between Thessaloniki and Kent State. He and Virginia directed the exchange program, which involved nearly 100 faculty and students from many departments until his retirement in 1995.

In addition to his expertise on American Puritanism, particularly the life and writing of Edward Taylor, Tom Davis had a wide range of interests, especially Western literature and history, Native-American culture (he maintained a regular correspondence with the late Tony Hillerman), and anything related to Greece. Not surprising for those who knew him well, Virginia affirms that Tom even published on an important American maker of zithers named Schwarzer, and that if he was in the right mood he took one of his zithers down from the wall at home and hummed along as he strummed it. He and Virginia traveled extensively, beginning in 1962 with a 3700-mile trip in Europe--on a large second-hand Lambretta scooter.

Tom's wide range of interest and his intensity as a serious scholar eager to teach others to understand and appreciate what he admires would seem to make it inevitable that bright, inquisitive students on all levels within the university would be attracted to his classes, and they were, indeed. Consequently, he received Kent State's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1987 and in 2005, a decade after his retirement, President Carol A. Cartwright awarded him with the President's Medal.

With his death we have lost a warm friend, a stalwart teacher, and an extraordinary scholar.

Calling hours will be held 4-6 PM Thursday, October 23rd and 1:30-2:30 PM Friday, October 24th at Bissler & Sons Funeral Home in Kent where memorial services will be held 2:30 PM. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20004, Amnesty International USA, 5 Penn Plaza, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001, and the ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York NY 10004.