Northfield Mount Hermon
Class of 1970
Gerry Degler Davis
Dr. Gerald N. Davis
July 9, 1938 – December 1, 2023
Dr. Gerald (Jerry) Nelson Davis departed his life on Earth December 1, 2023, at Sovah Hospital in Danville, Virginia.
He was born in Plainfield, NJ to the late George Nelson Davis and Alma Gertrude Minor-Davis. He was the second eldest of six siblings. Jerry was preceded in death by his wife, Gale, siblings Nancy Ann Davis Ford, George Dan Davis, and Joseph Henry Davis.
He spent his early years in Scotch Plains, NJ (Jersey land) and was a devout member of St. Johns’s Baptist Church who assisted him in his academic endeavors. After graduating Scotch Plains High School in 1957, he attended Hampton Institute and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1961 majoring in teacher education.
After graduation Jerry joined the International Voluntary Services (a precursor to the Peace Corps) as a teacher and community organizer stationed in Liberia, West Africa from 1961 to 1963.
In 1964, Jerry began his teaching career at Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH) where he taught history and originated, developed and instituted their African American Studies Program. He was also instrumental in recruiting African American students to the private prep school.
He met and married the love of his life and best friend Gale Ann Reid of Columbus, GA in 1965. From that union they were blessed with two loving children, Channing Gerald Davis and Sterling Landon Davis.
Jerry attended the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He completed his Master of Arts Degree at the University of Massachusetts and furthered his education with a Doctorate in Africa and African American Education in 1977. His dissertation was “Massachusetts Blacks and the Quest for Education 1638-1855.”
Jerry retired from NMH in 2000 and moved to the family homestead in Chatham to begin a new chapter with his mother Gertrude, brother Joe and cousins.
He was a passionate reader of historical and political works, novels, and poetry.
Jerry published articles, wrote for local newspapers and completed his memoir in 2021 entitled, “My Journey Through Life: An American Story.”
Jerry was an avid golfer, tennis player, swimmer, woodworker, cyclist, motorcycle rider, and could always find time to nurture his garden. He was a member of the Jersey land Park Community Center in Scotch Plains, NJ, National Association of Independent Schools in Boston, MA, International Voluntary Services, Washington DC and had a Court Fully Paid Silver Life Membership of the NAACP, Pittsylvania County, Pittsylvania County Democratic Party and Cedars Country Club Chatham, VA.
He was an awarded scholar, too numerous to name, but most recently received the Clyde L. Banks Service Award in 2019 in recognition of his unwavering work ethics, dedication, and commitment to the NAACP of Pittsylvania County.
Left to continue his spirit and honor his memory are his sons, Channing Davis of Chatham, VA and Sterling Davis (Kelly Woodland) Los Angeles, CA; his sisters, Lorraine M. Davis, Scotch Plains, NJ, Jo Ann Davis-Wayne (Arthur), Plainfield, NJ; and a host of relatives and friends.
Some comments from classmates on the passing of Dr. Davis…
From Neil Kiely:
As you recall, we were at NMH during some challenging and turbulent times.
A guiding light for many was Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Davis who not only taught history but was involved in understanding and improving race relations and was a friend and mentor to many.
My recollection of him is as a ‘no nonsense’ guy who was serious about serious issues.
I am a better person for having crossed his path during my two years on campus.
From Bruce Berk:
Thought he was as old as the hills.
32 when we graduated!
From Cornell Hills:
“…old as the hills…” thnx for the segue, Bruce…
This is sad but expected. It made me reflect on the fact that we think of so many people in our lives as always being there, whether we see them or not. Jerry Davis was one of those for me.
He was a history professor and one of his favorite historians that he seemed to always talk about (perceived by us students, anyway) was Carl Degler. Therefore, Rodney Antrum aptly nicknamed him “The Degler.” Almost all of the black students at Hermon referred to him as Degler. For my entire life at Hermon, he was always Degler. Even today when my wife asked me about my solemn looking face, without thinking about it, I said “Degler passed away.” He and Rev. Jones were the staunchest (only???) faculty supporters of the newly-formed Mt. Hermon Afro-Am Society. We occasionally had “extra” opportunities to meet over at Northfield with the Northfield Afro-Am Society. Degler was our transportation. Naturally, every black student with raging hormones wanted to go to the meetings. As we began to pile into Degler’s car (Ford? Mercury?), he would admonish us with “don’t you break my springs!” Thus, another Deglerism was born. His wife, Gale, was the sweetest person you’d ever meet. We all felt like honorary godfathers when their first child, daughter Channing, was born. I’ll remember him as the borderline curmudgeonly, sincere, nice, easy-going man who reflected before he acted. When he acted, it was with deliberation. Shown below, The Degler is the one on the left who will forever be imprinted in my mind and in my heart.
I’m going to miss having another try to break The Degler’s springs…
From Steve Johnson:
Seconding Cornell, “Degler Davis” was indeed a rarity — nice, sincere, measured, thought provoking, not easily ruffled. I was also pretty sure he was kind. Best prof I had in our Gill years, rueful that I never told him so.
From Alex Lotocki:
Wow! He looks pretty unchanged to me all these years later!
I never had him as a teacher, only as a table prof junior year (alas, sit down meals are an institution that has sadly disappeared from NMH when the food got better cafeteria-style). Jerry blew my mind when some 20 years after graduation. I happened to be passing by the campus in spring while school was out. I poked my head around in familiar spots to refresh my memories and went into the library for five minutes to look around. Didn’t see anyone there, but as I was leaving, I heard “Alex, is that you?” It was Jerry Davis! We had a great chat and I left heartened by my fond memories of Hermon and a faculty that cared about its students.
From Collins Lein:
I never had Dr. Davis as a teacher, but remember him as a stalwart and leader in helping establish an ‘Afro-Am’ core focus on campus during times of much needed change. Since both my Junior and Senior year roommates were part of the emerging Black student identity and belonging at Mt.Hermon, I so greatly appreciated Dr. Davis as a lighthouse, and as both a stabilizer and a respected source to help us all through those times. He did such a great and honorable service to the culture at Mt. Hermon, and to us all.
Yes, I remember “Degler.” I was not surprised to see him in a short-sleeve shirt in the photo above. He was a thoughtful teacher and introduced an American history course that wove blacks into the mainstream of our country’s evolution. And he had a sense of humor. One evening he had Cornell Hills, myself, Rodney Antrum and some others over for dinner. The night wore on, but no one seemed in a rush to leave. Finally he said, “Don’t you Negroes ever go home?” I can still hear Hills laughing. Like a number of others at Hermon, he was all one might have hoped for in a boarding school teacher. No doubt he would have been great fun to play golf with.
Professor Davis was my Mentor in many ways. I wrote my first research paper under his direction – we were discussing Slavery and he suggested I learn about it in all its forms throughout World History and compare practices and “Primary Sources” – I came to understand how excited he was for me when I was accepted to Vassar – years later he joked that he wished I had had the opportunity to meet Carl Degler who left Vassar the year before I attended but – as he said – He heard you were and decided to get out of town ;-). A wonderful man who helped shepherd me through turbulent times not only personally but also historically. I was a I was an eager student of History and he – with others in the History Department made of me an Historiographer for which I was and always will be grateful – Spoon’70
I do not remember him ,but I thank you all for the beautiful words. He sounds like a good guy. . It brought back so many memories of school for me. Loved seeing the yearbook with so many friends. I always have a place in my heart for Bo. Wonderful smart fun person. I had a cast on my leg from breaking my ankle skiing with Burdge senior year. . He painted that cast with dayglo paint before we went to a dance at Hermon that had black lights. So much fun! Don’t really know about him after graduation. I may have seen him in Boston visiting Barb. I know he has passed. Who can fill me in? Happy holiday season to all . Love, Sue or Toidy.
Submission by Paul Forster-Moore
December 9, 2023
Thank you Neil for sharing this sad news. I not only have fond memories of Jerry Davis (Ken Witherspoon, I believe we were in one of his classes -American History As If there Were Blacks) but I wrote to him not too long ago to tell him how crucial his class had been to me. It opened my eyes to a more sophisticated reading of American history at its worst and it taught me the value of using primary sources for unearthing the distortions and omissions in the historical narrative. Textbooks never captured the extent of slave rebellions from the southern plantations but the scholarly articles he had us read did reveal these events.
And rebuked the toxic myth of the Lost Cause.
I told him that from his inspiring teaching I went on to resist the Vietnam War draft and learned about American imperial overreach in Indochina from Russell Johnson who came from the American Friends Service Committee
to lecture us about these dynamics. Again. Jerry Davis was my intellectual “instigator!”
I appreciated his kind reply to me as he updated me on his status as a recent widower on the family farm in VA.
I will always be indebted to him. I’ll never forget this titan of a teacher and humanitarian.
Paul Foster-Moore (aka Moore)
Class of 1970