W. Harry Davis
Encyclopedia
W. Harry Davis, Sr. was an American
civil rights
activist, amateur boxing
coach, civic leader and businessman in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. He overcame poverty, childhood polio, and racial prejudice to become a humanitarian. Davis is remembered for his warm and positive personality, for coaching Golden Gloves
champions in the upper Midwest
, and for managing the Olympics boxing team
that won nine gold medals. His contributions to public education
in his community are enduring. A leader in desegregation
during the civil rights movement
, Davis helped Americans find a way forward to racial equality.
and a catcher for the Kansas City Monarchs
of Negro league baseball
. They lived in north Minneapolis in a poor neighborhood near 6th and Lyndale Avenues North called the Hellhole, known for prostitution, drinking and gambling. Later the area was covered by the junction of Olson Memorial Highway and Interstate 94.
Davis was paralyzed from the waist down by polio at the age of 2 or 3 until about age 5. His mother had learned a polio treatment from an ancestor who was a doctor on a plantation in Virginia. She helped to free Davis from his illness through massage and warm water wraps, applying an iron to keep the wraps warm. Davis was the first African American student at Michael Dowling School for Crippled Children. He was not allowed treatment at Shriners Hospital
, but he received a great deal of help at the school from a visiting doctor from City Hospital
. Later Elizabeth Kenny
, an Australian nurse who joined the City Hospital staff in 1940, would found the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute
in Minneapolis and provide treatment and physical therapy similar to that used by Davis's mother.
While growing up Davis was known as Little Pops. His second home was the Phyllis Wheatley settlement house
. Its director Gertrude Brown gave the area's children continuing education in a safe place to go after school. Davis must have gotten into trouble at some point as it was a juvenile parole officer who suggested he attend Phyllis Wheatley. There with his friends, Davis learned boxing
, etiquette
and Robert's Rules of Order
. They met Chick Webb
and danced to Duke Ellington
and Count Basie
who stayed there on tours to the Orpheum Theatre
. In 1962, he graduated from North High School where he lettered in and won a city championship in boxing. Davis attended the University of Minnesota
and later in life received an honorary doctorate in law from Macalester College
.
Davis was married to his wife Charlotte, a community leader, for sixty one years. They had four children, Rita Lyell, Harry Jr., Richard and Evan.
as exercise or fun, as well as to discourage street fighting and as a form of self defense. Davis founded the center's competitive boxing program during the 1940s, coached basketball, football and baseball, and served on the center's board of directors for thirty years. Between 1945 and 1960, Phyllis Wheatley won most of the boxing championships for the upper Midwest region that included Minnesota
, North Dakota
, South Dakota
and Wisconsin
.
Davis became the region's most successful coach and vice president of Golden Gloves
. Davis taught "don't misuse it or abuse it," and three principles of body, mind and conscience. Among his students were Clyde Bellecourt
who cofounded the American Indian Movement
and Jimmy Jackson who won a national Golden Gloves championship
in 1957. His relationship to the other winners from Minneapolis, Duane Bobick, Jack Graves, Virgil Hill, Roland Miller, Pat O'Connor, Don Sargeant, Dave Sherbrooke is ?. Davis was inducted into the Golden Gloves Hall of Fame in ?.
(NAACP) an organization he influenced throughout his life. In 1957 Davis and other lay leaders worked with pastors Chester Pennington and C.M. Sexton on the merger of Border Methodist with Hennepin Avenue Methodist. The predominantly white downtown congregation now known as Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
invited the Border congregation when they lost their church to urban redevelopment
. In 1966 Davis and group of eight others founded the Twin Cities Opportunity Industrialization Center (TCOIC), a program both criticized for excessive spending and lauded for providing job training to local African Americans.
In 1967, after large-scale disturbances in several major U.S. cities, the largely African-American neighborhood around Plymouth Avenue in north Minneapolis witnessed urban unrest. After several buildings were set on fire, Davis worked with mayor Arthur Naftalin
to resolve tensions between community members and the police. During this time Davis worked locally on the War on Poverty
and founded the Urban Coalition of Minneapolis.
Davis served for twenty years on the Minneapolis school board, as chair beginning in 1974. A judge ordered Minneapolis to address concentrations of races in parts of the city and their schools. To reach enrollment goals counted by race, school closings, school busing, redistricting and other plans were tried beginning in 1972. Davis continued to be active in school issues as late as 2006, when he supported Thandiwe Peebles, who resigned as superintendent.
was the norm in the United States. The country saw racial violence
and clashes with police sometimes called militant following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
in 1968. Part of an effort to build peace, Davis agreed to run for mayor in 1971 against the incumbent and independent Charles Stenvig
, former head of the Minneapolis police federation, whom Davis later called his friend. Soon endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
, Davis ran as the city's first African American mayoral candidate supported by a major political party.
When integration or desegregation
began in the 1960s, black families sometimes experienced frightening persecution in Minneapolis by individuals and groups behaving like the latter-day Ku Klux Klan
in southern cities. These forces were still present in the city in 1971. The Davis family received daily threats to their safety during the campaign. The FBI
brought them guard dogs and the police department had to station guards at their home. White politicians, Donald M. Fraser
, Hubert Humphrey
and Walter Mondale
sometimes accompanied Davis. As expected, Stenvig won reelection. Davis won the admiration of many.
Among large cities in the United States who had African American mayors about this time, Cleveland elected Carl Stokes
in 1967, and Newark, New Jersey, elected Kenneth Gibson in 1970. In 1973, Thomas Bradley
and Maynard H. Jackson won in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Minneapolis did not elect a black mayor for twenty more years. Sharon Sayles Belton
, who saw Davis's concession speech in 1971, assumed office in 1994 and served through 2001.
newspaper in 1973. Davis became assistant vice president in public affairs and assistant vice president in employee services. When he retired in 1987 he was vice president of the paper's parent company, Cowles Media
. The Star Tribune became part of McClatchy
who sold it to Avista in 2006.
. In 1980 the United States led a boycott
of the Summer Olympics in Moscow, where Cuba
dominated men's boxing.
In 1984 in Los Angeles, Cuba was among the group of countries who boycotted with the Soviet Union. Under coach Pat Nappi ?, Davis was again team manager for the United States. Individual wins were contested and Evander Holyfield
was disqualified. Paul Gonzales
, Steve McCrory
, Meldrick Taylor
, Pernell Whitaker
, Jerry Page
, Mark Breland
, Frank Tate
, Henry Tillman
and Tyrell Biggs
won gold medals and Virgil Hill won silver. Except when the United States competed alone in St. Louis in 1904
and won every medal, the 1984 team's nine gold and one silver is the best record in Olympic boxing. Cuba returned in 1992 in the Barcelona games to win seven gold and one silver with no boycotts
.
.
Davis recovered from lymphoma
during the 1980s. A recurrence of the disease took his life about three years after his wife's death.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist, amateur boxing
Amateur boxing
Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...
coach, civic leader and businessman in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. He overcame poverty, childhood polio, and racial prejudice to become a humanitarian. Davis is remembered for his warm and positive personality, for coaching Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
champions in the upper Midwest
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...
, and for managing the Olympics boxing team
Boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place in the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The boxing schedule began on July 29 and ended on August 11. Twelve men's boxing events were contested.-Light Flyweight :...
that won nine gold medals. His contributions to public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
in his community are enduring. A leader in desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
during the civil rights movement
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
, Davis helped Americans find a way forward to racial equality.
Early years
Davis was the son of Elizabeth Jackson, who was known as Libby, and Lee Davis, a Winnebago Dakota SiouxSioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and a catcher for the Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro Leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J.L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J.L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time...
of Negro league baseball
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
. They lived in north Minneapolis in a poor neighborhood near 6th and Lyndale Avenues North called the Hellhole, known for prostitution, drinking and gambling. Later the area was covered by the junction of Olson Memorial Highway and Interstate 94.
Davis was paralyzed from the waist down by polio at the age of 2 or 3 until about age 5. His mother had learned a polio treatment from an ancestor who was a doctor on a plantation in Virginia. She helped to free Davis from his illness through massage and warm water wraps, applying an iron to keep the wraps warm. Davis was the first African American student at Michael Dowling School for Crippled Children. He was not allowed treatment at Shriners Hospital
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’...
, but he received a great deal of help at the school from a visiting doctor from City Hospital
Hennepin County Medical Center
Hennepin County Medical Center is a Level I trauma center based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the county seat of Hennepin County. The primary 422-bed facility is located on five city blocks across the street from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, with satellite clinics in Minneapolis, Brooklyn...
. Later Elizabeth Kenny
Elizabeth Kenny
Elizabeth Kenny was an unqualified Australian nurse who promoted a controversial new approach to the treatment of poliomyelitis in the era before mass vaccination eradicated the disease in most countries.-Youth:...
, an Australian nurse who joined the City Hospital staff in 1940, would found the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute
Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute
The Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, located at 28th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, is the leading rehabilitation provider in the region. The Institute is named after Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian woman trained in nursing — the title “Sister” is used in British countries to...
in Minneapolis and provide treatment and physical therapy similar to that used by Davis's mother.
While growing up Davis was known as Little Pops. His second home was the Phyllis Wheatley settlement house
Settlement movement
The settlement movement was a reformist social movement, beginning in the 1880s and peaking around the 1920s in England and the US, with a goal of getting the rich and poor in society to live more closely together in an interdependent community...
. Its director Gertrude Brown gave the area's children continuing education in a safe place to go after school. Davis must have gotten into trouble at some point as it was a juvenile parole officer who suggested he attend Phyllis Wheatley. There with his friends, Davis learned boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
and Robert's Rules of Order
Robert's Rules of Order
Robert's Rules of Order is the short title of a book containing rules of order intended to be adopted as a parliamentary authority for use by a deliberative assembly written by Brig. Gen...
. They met Chick Webb
Chick Webb
William Henry Webb, usually known as Chick Webb was an American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader.-Biography:...
and danced to Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
who stayed there on tours to the Orpheum Theatre
The Historic Orpheum Theatre
The Historic Orpheum Theatre is a theater in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is one of four restored theaters on Hennepin Avenue, along with the Pantages Theatre, the State Theatre and the Shubert Theatre....
. In 1962, he graduated from North High School where he lettered in and won a city championship in boxing. Davis attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and later in life received an honorary doctorate in law from Macalester College
Macalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
.
Davis was married to his wife Charlotte, a community leader, for sixty one years. They had four children, Rita Lyell, Harry Jr., Richard and Evan.
Golden Gloves boxing
Phyllis Wheatley taught amateur boxingAmateur boxing
Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...
as exercise or fun, as well as to discourage street fighting and as a form of self defense. Davis founded the center's competitive boxing program during the 1940s, coached basketball, football and baseball, and served on the center's board of directors for thirty years. Between 1945 and 1960, Phyllis Wheatley won most of the boxing championships for the upper Midwest region that included Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
Davis became the region's most successful coach and vice president of Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
. Davis taught "don't misuse it or abuse it," and three principles of body, mind and conscience. Among his students were Clyde Bellecourt
Clyde Bellecourt
Clyde Howard Bellecourt is a White Earth Ojibwe civil rights organizer noted for co-founding the American Indian Movement in 1968 with Dennis Banks, Herb Powless, and Eddie Benton Banai, among others. His older brother, the late Vernon Bellecourt, was also active...
who cofounded the American Indian Movement
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
and Jimmy Jackson who won a national Golden Gloves championship
National Golden Gloves Champions
Below is a list of National Golden Gloves Champions along with the year and weight class they were named champion and the state or region which they represented:Weight Champion Region*1928*112 - Jimmy Chase - Chicago...
in 1957. His relationship to the other winners from Minneapolis, Duane Bobick, Jack Graves, Virgil Hill, Roland Miller, Pat O'Connor, Don Sargeant, Dave Sherbrooke is ?. Davis was inducted into the Golden Gloves Hall of Fame in ?.
Civic leadership
In 1945 he became a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) an organization he influenced throughout his life. In 1957 Davis and other lay leaders worked with pastors Chester Pennington and C.M. Sexton on the merger of Border Methodist with Hennepin Avenue Methodist. The predominantly white downtown congregation now known as Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church is a church across Lowry Hill from the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its address is 511 Groveland Avenue.-History:...
invited the Border congregation when they lost their church to urban redevelopment
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
. In 1966 Davis and group of eight others founded the Twin Cities Opportunity Industrialization Center (TCOIC), a program both criticized for excessive spending and lauded for providing job training to local African Americans.
In 1967, after large-scale disturbances in several major U.S. cities, the largely African-American neighborhood around Plymouth Avenue in north Minneapolis witnessed urban unrest. After several buildings were set on fire, Davis worked with mayor Arthur Naftalin
Arthur Naftalin
Arthur Naftalin was an American political scientist and politician. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party , he served as mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota from July 3, 1961, to July 6, 1969. He was the city's only Jewish mayor.Naftalin was born in Fargo, North Dakota, one of four...
to resolve tensions between community members and the police. During this time Davis worked locally on the War on Poverty
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
and founded the Urban Coalition of Minneapolis.
Davis served for twenty years on the Minneapolis school board, as chair beginning in 1974. A judge ordered Minneapolis to address concentrations of races in parts of the city and their schools. To reach enrollment goals counted by race, school closings, school busing, redistricting and other plans were tried beginning in 1972. Davis continued to be active in school issues as late as 2006, when he supported Thandiwe Peebles, who resigned as superintendent.
Mayoral run
The city of Minneapolis was comparatively progressive but racial segregationRacial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
was the norm in the United States. The country saw racial violence
Mass racial violence in the United States
Mass racial violence, also called race riots can include such disparate events as:* attacks on Irish Catholics, the Chinese and other immigrants in the 19th century....
and clashes with police sometimes called militant following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in 1968. Part of an effort to build peace, Davis agreed to run for mayor in 1971 against the incumbent and independent Charles Stenvig
Charles Stenvig
Charles A. Stenvig served as mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota for three two-year terms from 1969–1973 and 1976–1978 . Stenvig was a police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department before and after his service as mayor...
, former head of the Minneapolis police federation, whom Davis later called his friend. Soon endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, Davis ran as the city's first African American mayoral candidate supported by a major political party.
When integration or desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
began in the 1960s, black families sometimes experienced frightening persecution in Minneapolis by individuals and groups behaving like the latter-day Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in southern cities. These forces were still present in the city in 1971. The Davis family received daily threats to their safety during the campaign. The FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
brought them guard dogs and the police department had to station guards at their home. White politicians, Donald M. Fraser
Donald M. Fraser
Donald MacKay Fraser is an American politician from Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Early life:Donald Fraser played a critical role in making human rights an important part of U.S. policy. Fraser was born on 20 February 1924 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Everett and Lois Fraser. His parents were émigrés...
, Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
and Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
sometimes accompanied Davis. As expected, Stenvig won reelection. Davis won the admiration of many.
Among large cities in the United States who had African American mayors about this time, Cleveland elected Carl Stokes
Carl B. Stokes
Carl Burton Stokes was an American politician of the Democratic party who served as the 51st mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. Elected on November 7, 1967, but took office on Jan 1, 1968, he was the first African American mayor of a major U.S. city. Fellow Ohioan Robert C. Henry was the first African...
in 1967, and Newark, New Jersey, elected Kenneth Gibson in 1970. In 1973, Thomas Bradley
Tom Bradley (politician)
Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
and Maynard H. Jackson won in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Minneapolis did not elect a black mayor for twenty more years. Sharon Sayles Belton
Sharon Sayles Belton
Sharon Sayles Belton is an American community leader, politician and activist. She is currently the VP of Community Relations and Government Affairs for Thomson Reuters Legal business.-Early years:...
, who saw Davis's concession speech in 1971, assumed office in 1994 and served through 2001.
Star Tribune
Throughout his career, Davis was known to the Minneapolis newspapers who covered Golden Gloves regularly and it was in the news publishing industry that he became the city's first prominent black business executive who large numbers of the white population recognized. Earlier Davis was a production foreman and later employee services manager for Onan Corporation and the founding chief executive of the Urban Coalition. He started at what is now the Star TribuneStar Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
newspaper in 1973. Davis became assistant vice president in public affairs and assistant vice president in employee services. When he retired in 1987 he was vice president of the paper's parent company, Cowles Media
Cowles Media Company
Cowles Media Company was a newspaper, magazine and information publishing company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. The company operated Cowles Business Media, Cowles Creative Publishing and Cowles Enthusiast Media units. The McClatchy Company purchased Cowles Media in 1998...
. The Star Tribune became part of McClatchy
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
who sold it to Avista in 2006.
Olympic boxing
Davis served on the United States Olympic boxing committee during the 1970s and 1980s for Golden Gloves whose champions were eligible for Olympic competition. He was manager, responsible for the team's well being including lodging and logistics and medical care, for the second place trial team at the Summer Olympics in Montreal in 1976Boxing at the 1976 Summer Olympics
There were eleven boxing events at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Light Flyweight :-First Round:* Armando Guevara def. Eduardo Baltar , 5:0* Li Byong-Uk def. Sidney McKnight , KO-1...
. In 1980 the United States led a boycott
American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott of the Moscow Olympics was a part of a package of actions initiated by the United States to protest the Soviet war in Afghanistan...
of the Summer Olympics in Moscow, where Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
dominated men's boxing.
In 1984 in Los Angeles, Cuba was among the group of countries who boycotted with the Soviet Union. Under coach Pat Nappi ?, Davis was again team manager for the United States. Individual wins were contested and Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
was disqualified. Paul Gonzales
Paul Gonzales
Paul Garza Gonzales was a Mexican American boxer, who won the light flyweight gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Amateur career:...
, Steve McCrory
Steve McCrory
Steve McCrory was an American boxer, who won the Flyweight Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics...
, Meldrick Taylor
Meldrick Taylor
Meldrick Taylor is a former Olympic gold medalist and world boxing champion in two weight classes.-Amateur career:...
, Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
, Jerry Page
Jerry Page
Jerry Louis Page was an American boxer who won the light welterweight gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics...
, Mark Breland
Mark Breland
Mark Anthony Breland is a former world champion boxer, who won five New York Golden Gloves Titles and a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics...
, Frank Tate
Frank Tate (boxer)
Frank Tate was an American boxer.-Amateur career:Tate was the 1983 National Golden Gloves light middleweight champion. Even though he was down two times during the final bout he controversially won the Light Middleweight Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics vs Canadian Boxer Shawn O'Sullivan...
, Henry Tillman
Henry Tillman
Henry Durand Tillman is a former American boxer.-Amateur Career:Tillman twice defeated Mike Tyson as an amateur, winning both bouts via close decisions. Tillman went on to win heavyweight Gold at the Los Angeles Olympics....
and Tyrell Biggs
Tyrell Biggs
Tyrell Biggs , is an American heavyweight boxer. He won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, CA in boxing at the Superheavyweight division, after gaining bronze the previous year at the 1983 Pan American Games....
won gold medals and Virgil Hill won silver. Except when the United States competed alone in St. Louis in 1904
Boxing at the 1904 Summer Olympics
At the 1904 Summer Olympics, seven boxing events were contested. Only American boxers competed. The competitions were held on Wednesday, September 21, 1904 and on Thursday, September 22, 1904. Contestants in lighter weight classes could also compete in heavier classes...
and won every medal, the 1984 team's nine gold and one silver is the best record in Olympic boxing. Cuba returned in 1992 in the Barcelona games to win seven gold and one silver with no boycotts
Boxing at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 1992 Summer Olympics took place in the old Pavelló Club Joventut de Badalona in Barcelona. The boxing schedule began on July 26 and ended on August 9...
.
| United States Olympic Boxing in Los Angeles, 1984 Boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics Boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place in the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The boxing schedule began on July 29 and ended on August 11. Twelve men's boxing events were contested.-Light Flyweight :... |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Second | Third | Weight |  |
| Paul Gonzales Paul Gonzales Paul Garza Gonzales was a Mexican American boxer, who won the light flyweight gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Amateur career:... , USA |
Salvatore Todisco Salvatore Todisco Salvatore Todisco was a flyweight boxer from Italy, who won the silver medal in the light flyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. In the final he was defeated by Paul Gonzales of the United States... , ITA |
Marcelino Bolivar Marcelino Bolivar José Marcelino Bolivar is a retired minimumweight boxer from Venezuela, who won the bronze medal in the flyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California... , VEN Keith Mwila Keith Mwila Keith Mwila is a retired Zambian boxer, who won the bronze medal in the men's Light flyweight category at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States... , ZAM |
Light Flyweight |  Gold |
| Steve McCrory Steve McCrory Steve McCrory was an American boxer, who won the Flyweight Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics... , USA |
Redzep Redzepovski Redzep Redzepovski Redzep Redzepovski is a retired flyweight boxer of Macedonian descent, who won the silver medal for Yugoslavia in the flyweight division Redzep Redzepovski (born December 14, 1962 in Kumanovo) is a retired flyweight boxer of Macedonian descent, who won the silver medal for Yugoslavia in the... , YUG |
Ibrahim Bilali Ibrahim Bilali Ibrahim Bilali is a retired flyweight boxer from Kenya, who won the bronze medal in the flyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California... , KEN Eyüp Can Eyüp Can (boxer) Eyüp Can is a retired Turkish boxer. He won a Flyweight Bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, losing in the semi final to eventual gold medalist Steve McCrory... , TUR |
Flyweight | Gold |
| Maurizio Stecca Maurizio Stecca Maurizio Stecca is an Italian former boxer, who won the Bantamweight Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.His brother Loris Stecca was also a professional boxer.-Professional career:... , ITA |
Héctor López Héctor López (boxer) Héctor López Colín was a Mexican boxer who was the NABF and WBO NABO Light Welterweight Champion. He also won an Olympic Silver medal for Mexico in the Bantamweight division.-Amateur career:... , MEX |
Pedro Nolasco Pedro Nolasco Pedro Nolasco was a Dominican boxer, who won the bronze medal in the men's bantamweight category at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States.... , DOM Dale Walters Dale Walters Dale Walters was a Canadian boxer who won a bantamweight bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.- Professional career :... , CAN |
Bantamweight | |
| Meldrick Taylor Meldrick Taylor Meldrick Taylor is a former Olympic gold medalist and world boxing champion in two weight classes.-Amateur career:... , USA |
Peter Konyegwachie Peter Konyegwachie Peter Konyegwachie was a Nigerian boxer.He hails from Ogwashi-Uku,the town that also produced another sport great,Austin "Jay Jay"Okocha.The town is the head quarters of Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State,Nigeria.He attended Adaigbo Secondary School.At the 1984 Summer Olympics he... , NGR |
Türgüt Aykaç Türgüt Aykaç Türgüt Aykaç is a former boxer from Turkey. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the men's featherweight division , alongside with Omar Catari of Venezuela... , TUR Omar Catari Omar Catari Omar Catari Peraza is a former Venezuelan boxer. At the 1984 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in the men's featherweight division , alongside with Türgüt Aykaç of Turkey.... , VEN |
Featherweight | Gold |
| Pernell Whitaker Pernell Whitaker Pernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer... , USA |
Luis Ortiz Luis Ortiz (boxer) Luis Ortiz Flores is a Puerto Rican former boxer who is a native of Humacao.-Amateur career:Ortiz had an award winning amateur career, which led him to represent Puerto Rico in the 1984 Los Angeles summer Olympics. Ortiz at first wasn't very well known in Puerto Rico... , PUR |
Chun Chil-Sung Chun Chil-Sung Chun Chil-Sung is a retired South Korean boxer.-Amateur career:Chun managed a career record of 100-6 during his amateur career.... , KOR Martin Ndongo-Ebanga, CMR |
Lightweight | Gold |
| Jerry Page Jerry Page Jerry Louis Page was an American boxer who won the light welterweight gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics... , USA |
Dhawee Umponmaha Dhawee Umponmaha Dhawee Umponmaha is a Thai boxer. At the 1984 Summer Olympics he won a silver medal in the men's Light Welterweight category.In Muay Thai his name is Khaopong Sitthichuchai... , THA |
Mircea Fulger Mircea Fulger Mircea Fulger is a retired boxer from Romania. At the 1984 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in the men's light welterweight division... , ROM Mirko Puzović Mirko Puzovic Mirko Puzović is a retired boxer from Yugoslavia. At the 1984 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in the men's light welterweight division . In the semifinals he was beaten by eventual winner Jerry Page of the United States... , YUG |
Light Welterweight | Gold |
| Mark Breland Mark Breland Mark Anthony Breland is a former world champion boxer, who won five New York Golden Gloves Titles and a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics... , USA |
An Young-Su An Young-Su An Young-Su is a retired amateur boxer from South Korea, who won the silver medal in the men's welterweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. In the final he was beaten by Mark Breland of the United States.- Results :-External links:*... , KOR |
Luciano Bruno Luciano Bruno Luciano Bruno was an Italian boxer, who won a Welterweight Bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Olympic results:*1st round bye*Defeated Georges Bosco 5-0*Defeated Peter Okumu 4-1... , ITA Joni Nyman Joni Nyman Joni Nyman is a retired boxer from Finland, who won a Welterweight Bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics... , FIN |
Welterweight | Gold |
| Frank Tate Frank Tate (boxer) Frank Tate was an American boxer.-Amateur career:Tate was the 1983 National Golden Gloves light middleweight champion. Even though he was down two times during the final bout he controversially won the Light Middleweight Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics vs Canadian Boxer Shawn O'Sullivan... , USA |
Shawn O'Sullivan Shawn O'Sullivan Shawn O'Sullivan is a retired Canadian boxer who won gold at the World Amateur Championships in 1981 and the light middleweight silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Background:... , CAN |
Christophe Tiozzo Christophe Tiozzo Christophe Tiozzo was a French boxer, who won a Light Middleweight Bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics... , FRA Manfred Zielonka Manfred Zielonka Manfred Zielonka is a retired boxer from West Germany. At the 1984 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in the men's light middleweight division . In the semifinals he was beaten by eventual winner Frank Tate of the United States... , FRG |
Light Middleweight | Gold |
| Shin Joon-Sup Shin Joon-Sup Shin Joon-Sup is a former South Korean middleweight amateur boxer and Olympic Gold Medalist.-Career:... , KOR |
Virgil Hill, USA | Aristides González Aristides González Ariestides González Ortíz is a boxer from Puerto Rico, who won the bronze medal in the Middleweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He shared the podium with Algeria's Mohamed Zaoui... , PUR Mohamed Zaoui Mohamed Zaoui Mohamed Zaoui is a boxer from Algeria.-Career:Zaoui won the bronze medal in the Middleweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles... , ALG |
Middleweight |  Silver |
| Anton Josipović Anton Josipovic Anton Ante Josipović is a former boxer from Bosnia and Herzegovina... , YUG |
Kevin Barry Kevin Barry (boxer) Kevin Michael Joseph Barry is a noted New Zealand former boxer, boxing trainer, manager and occasional commentator... , NZL |
Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"... , USA Mustapha Moussa Mustapha Moussa Mustapha Moussa is a boxer from Algeria.Moussa won the bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He shared the podium with the USA's Evander Holyfield... , ALG |
Light Heavyweight | |
| Henry Tillman Henry Tillman Henry Durand Tillman is a former American boxer.-Amateur Career:Tillman twice defeated Mike Tyson as an amateur, winning both bouts via close decisions. Tillman went on to win heavyweight Gold at the Los Angeles Olympics.... , USA |
Willie DeWit, CAN | Angelo Musone Angelo Musone Angelo Musone is an Italian former boxer, who won the Heavyweight bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.- Olympic results :*Defeated James Omondi 5-0*Defeated Kaliq Singh walk-over... , ITA Arnold Vanderlyde Arnold Vanderlyde Arnold Petrus Maria Vanderlyde is a former boxer from the Netherlands, who participated in three Summer Olympics and won three bronze medals in the heavyweight division , starting in 1984 in Los Angeles, California. He started boxing at age fifteen... , NED |
Heavyweight | Gold |
| Tyrell Biggs Tyrell Biggs Tyrell Biggs , is an American heavyweight boxer. He won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, CA in boxing at the Superheavyweight division, after gaining bronze the previous year at the 1983 Pan American Games.... , USA |
Francesco Damiani Francesco Damiani Francesco Damiani is an Italian former boxer who won the silver medal at the 1982 World Championships and at the 1984 Summer Olympics. As a professional, he was the first WBO heavyweight champion.-Amateur:... , ITA |
Aziz Salihu Aziz Salihu Aziz Salihu is a retired heavyweight boxer of Albanian descent. He represented Yugoslavia at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, and won the bronze medal in the super heavyweight division , after a loss in the semifinals at the hands of Tyrell Biggs of the United States... , YUG Robert Wells Robert Wells (boxer) Robert Wells is a former British boxer, who won the Super Heavyweight bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.... , GBR |
Super Heavyweight | Gold |
Later years
Davis received at least seventy nine civic leadership awards. In 2002, West Central Academy, a Minneapolis middle school, was renamed W. Harry Davis Academy. A foundation, award and scholarship also carry his name. Davis published his autobiography Overcoming in 2002. In 2003, he published Changemaker, a history of the civil rights movement in Minnesota for young readers age 10 and up, based on his memoirs. Lori Sturdevant of the Star Tribune edited both books which were published by the historical society of Afton, MinnesotaAfton, Minnesota
Afton is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,886 at the 2010 census. It is located on a small bay where Valley Creek empties into the St. Croix River several miles north of the confluence with the Mississippi River....
.
Davis recovered from lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
during the 1980s. A recurrence of the disease took his life about three years after his wife's death.