Alan Choate Davis of Port Chester, N.Y., died on December 9, 2017. The cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage, but he died peacefully, surrounded by his loving family. He was 87.
Born in New Hampshire, on April 20, 1930 he was the son of Ann and Kenneth Davis. His childhood home was the source of many wonderful memories. He and his sister Margery and their parents especially enjoyed climbing and skiing in the nearby White Mountains. He was one of 12 Boy Scouts selected to serve as Messengers during the International Monetary Conference at Bretton Woods in 1944.
In 1947, he graduated from Manchester Central High, where he served as class president all four years. He spent one year at Exeter Academy, where he anchored the line in the defeat of football rival Andover.
He graduated in 1952 from Dartmouth College, where he was on the Track and Field team, specializing in the hammer throw, a member of the Casque and Gauntlet Honor Society, and president of his fraternity, Theta Delta Chi.
Mr. Davis served in the U.S. Army for three years, graduated from Officer Candidate School, and served as Commanding Officer of his Ordnance unit. He won the Fifth Army hammer championship and was a double winner in the Mid-American AAU Championships in the hammer and 56-pound weight throw.
In 1958, he graduated from Harvard Law School, where he met his future wife, Mary Davidson. He then embarked on a successful career as a corporate lawyer. He was General Counsel of the Tank Car Comp Committee of the American Petroleum Institute, a corporate lawyer at Gulf Oil Corp and ITT Continental Baking Company, and Assistant General Counsel of Boehringer Ingelheim Corp.
He and his family lived in Rye for 35 years. He loved Rye Presbyterian Church, where he was a trustee; Manursing Island Club, where he served on the Board of Governors; and the Rye Youth Council, where he served as Counsel. He also served as chair of the Westchester Coalition of Business and Industry. Among his many civic and community undertakings was being part of the leadership effort that prevented the building of the Rye-Oyster Bay Bridge.
Alan Davis was known for his sense of humor, love of sports, in-depth knowledge of history (he was writing a book on the American Revolution), and his complete sacrifice and devotion to his entire family.
In addition to his beloved wife Mary, Mr. Davis is survived by his children, Russell, Mark, and Susan; and grandchildren, Lauren, Kevin, Neil, and Andrew Davis, and Holly and Michael Trumpler.
A funeral and celebration service will be held on Saturday, January 20 at 2 p.m. at the Rye Presbyterian Church, with a reception to follow. Donations in his memory may be made to Steer for Student Athletes (steerforstudentathletes.org).
[PLACES: Manchester NH Leader, Rye Record, NYT?, Dartmouth Alumni Mag, ’52 Newsletter, Exeter Bulletin, Harvard Law School Alumni Mag, RPC, Manursing]
