Marion and Mary Davis Named Philanthropists of the Year

CONTACT: LINDA ELLIOTT, EXT. 2145

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/29/99
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- Mary Davis and her late husband, Marion, known and respected by so many in the greater Easley community, have been named the 1999 Philanthropists of the Year by the Tri-County Technical College Foundation Board of Trustees.

The retired business couple from Easley has been consistent and generous supporters of Tri-County Technical College since 1992. Mrs. Davis and her late husband, who died July 6 after a long battle with cancer, were honored at an October 28 meeting of the College's Foundation Board members. Mr. Davis served on the College's Foundation Board from January of 1994 until his death.

"The Davises are true, powerful givers to many important endeavors, but most of all to their church," said Dr. Don C. Garrison, president of Tri-County.
"There are many other recipients that the community knows nothing about. The Davises are warm and caring people and have never sought publicity and personal recognition."

Since 1993 they have endowed three individual scholarships – the Marion Davis Scholarship, the Mary Davis Scholarship and the Marion and Mary Davis Scholarship at the College.

Rhonda Billingsley is one of three students who have benefited from the couple's generous scholarships. After several unsatisfying jobs, she returned to college in 1996 in Tri-County's accounting department. She obtained a job as financial secretary for the Easley Presbyterian Church and was able to use the accounting skills she was learning in college. "The benefits of the scholarship are immeasurable," said Mrs. Billingsley, who lives in Pumpkintown with her husband and daughter. "The scholarship has eased the financial burden for my family," she said. "It's easier to concentrate on my studies. It enables our lives to be better. I got my self-confidence back– something I so desperately needed.

"I'm very grateful. The Davises have blessed our household," said Mrs. Billingsley.

The Davises have made other major gifts to the College by endowing a teaching chair that provides funding for the development of nursing faculty. This year, seven out of 10 nursing faculty were able to benefit from the chair by attending conferences that help them to remain current in the field of nursing education.

Last year the couple named a room in the Health/Science building.

Ben Childress, an Easley businessman and a member of Tri-County's Area Commission, met the couple when he joined First Baptist Church in Easley in 1956. "They are the kind of people who have been very steady and constant in their dedication to the church and the community," said Mr. Childress. "Both have always been willing to lend a helping hand. Mrs. Davis is continuing that benevolence on a daily basis. She is always there and doing her part yet she never wants recognition. They are just fine people."

Claire Cox, of Easley, Mrs. Davis's Sunday School teacher, echoes those sentiments. "They are the most Christian kind of people I know – always ready to share anything and everything they have. They have given gifts that nobody knows about. I have never heard either one talk about the things they have done. The only way I know about their acts of kindness is through other people."

Mrs. Cox continued: "I can use a lot of superlatives when I talk about both of them. No one is more deserving of the Philanthropist of the Year award."

In recognition of their benevolence to the Foundation, in 1995 the Davises were made Partners in Honor, joining 10 other foundations, companies, and individual who have contributed $50,000 or more to Tri-County Technical College.

In 1995 the couple was inducted into the College's Order of the Trilon,
which recognizes community and state leaders who have contributed to the development of Tri-County and the State Tech System. This is the highest honor bestowed by the College's board of trustees.

Mr. Davis was retired from Marion Davis, Inc., a company he and Mrs. Davis formed in the early 1950's. He was a founder and treasurer of the Easley Baptist Hospital Foundation Board and served on the electrical board for the city of Easley.

"The beneficence of Marion and Mary Davis does not end with the past," said Linda Elliott, vice president for development at the College. "Because this couple has established endowments that will live perpetually, they have ensured that many students will receive scholarships and health education faculty will continue to grow and become better."
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