James C. Davis, 85, formerly of Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy, a retired history professor, died Oct. 26 at Cathedral Village in Andorra, where he had resided for the past three years.
Dr. Davis retired in 1994 after teaching European history at the University of Pennsylvania for 34 years.
Mr. Davis earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton University, where he was a reporter for the Daily Princetonian. While serving in the Army in Italy, he was again a reporter and also an editor for the Army’s local paper.
He developed a keen interest in Italy’s history as he fell in love with the country and its people, and especially a local woman, Elda, who became his wife. They married and made their home in the United States, where Mr. Davis went on to earn his doctorate in history from Johns Hopkins University.
An avid reader and lover of words, Mr. Davis was the author of several books, both academic and non-scholarly, including his own memoirs and a concise history of the world.
In later years, he began to paint, mostly watercolors and acrylics of special areas in the towns surrounding his wife’s childhood home. Wanting to foster artistic interest in his grandchildren, he gathered old paint, scraps of wooden boards and painted old canvasses blank and then invited his family to a Jackson Pollack-inspired paint party. In the Davises’ backyard, the family splashed and splattered paint and created their own masterpieces, later displayed in a gallery at the University of Pennsylvania and in their own homes.
Mr. Davis is survived by his wife; sons David and Daniel; a daughter, Miriam; and six grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Mental Health Association of Southeastern, Pennsylvania (Attn: Donation Coordinator, 1211 Chestnut Street, 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107) or Alzheimer’s Association (8180 Greensboro Drive, Suite 400, McLean, VA 22102). Alternatively, family members will be walking in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s with Team Cathedral Village. The team can be sponsored at Team Cathedral Village – Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s (http://act.alz.org/site/TR?team_id=342630&fr_id=92). – WF
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