Charles Robert “Chick” Davis

A 1972 Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Charles Robert “Chick” Davis was a letterwinner in four varsity sports. This versatile athlete was inducted specifically for his excellence in football.

Davis quarterbacked the Wasps to two appearances in the Tangerine Bowl. In 1951, his senior year, Davis’ achievements earned him All-America recognition.

In addition to athletics, Davis was a member of “Collegians” male chorus, co-president of Christian Student Movement, and a member of Phi Gamma Phi social fraternity. After his time at Emory & Henry, Davis received a bachelor’s in music and a master’s in music from Westminster Choir College in 1952 and 1954, respectively. He then went on to earn a doctorate in in music from Indiana University in 1970.

A true renaissance man, Davis went on to found and direct the Emory & Henry Concert Choir. He served as a Professor of Voice for 36 years, until his retirement in 1996, and also directed the Bristol Concert Choir in Virginia and Tennessee for 25 years. In addition, he served as Dean of Students at Brevard, North Carolina for 26 summers. Davis had a lifelong passion to teach students, friends, and family, how to worship his Lord, Jesus Christ, through music.

Davis was a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the National Federation of Choral Conductors, and was included in the 1970 edition of Personalities of the South. In 1988, he was the recipient of Emory & Henry’s William and Martha DeFriece Award. Two years later he received the James A. Davis Faculty Award.

Born on July 30, 1930, Dr. Charles Robert “Chick” Davis passed away at the age of 84 on December 27, 2014.