Gifts in Action - Robert Davis

MEET ROBERT DAVIS

Robert “Rob” H. Davis was a thespian scientist.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts."
Kent and Susanne Davis, cite Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”

Rob Davis played many parts before he died of a bacterial infection at age 21. An integrative biology major, Rob was awarded a posthumous bachelor’s degree by the University of Illinois in May 2008.

In honor and memory of their son and brother, the Davis family has created the Robert H. Davis Memorial Endowment Fund. Net income from the fund will support an annual undergraduate research award to students in the School of Integrative Biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The awardee of The Robert H. Davis Undergraduate Research Prize will exhibit significant academic curiosity; have interests outside academia, such as arts, sports or politics; and, because he or she must work to pay for college expenses, has been unable to engage in undergraduate research. The Davis Prize is intended to allow a student a semester or summer in a research lab related to fields of study in the School of Integrative Biology or organismal biology.

The terms of the Davis Prize reflect the multiple interests of Rob Davis. “He was our son, brother to Kate and Emily, grandson, co-worker, and friend to many,” said Kent Davis. “He won over everyone with his contagious smile, crushing hugs and booming laugh,” added Susanne Davis.

“Sue and I have always tried to expose our kids to a wide range of interests. We are both readers with many books in the house. We love music, Shakespeare, movies, sports, church, etc. While we provided a foundation, each of the kids has gone off and explored and developed their own interests while retaining some but not all of those initial interests,” said Kent Davis.  

Rob played baseball, was active in Boy Scouts, listened to music ranging from rock to classical, played the flute, bass and guitar, and was a passionate student of science, history and literature, said his parents. He enjoyed doing character impersonations while watching movies with his father, telling jokes while cooking with his mother, and teasing and laughing with his sisters.

A 2004 graduate of Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Ill., and a National Merit Scholar, Rob enjoyed reading, watching and acting in Shakespeare plays. In the fall of his senior year at the U of I, he was actively involved in the What You Will Shakespeare Company and acted in several productions.

While at Illinois, he worked three years with the Illinois Emergency Medical Services team, advancing to train new Emergency Medical Technicians. While at home, Rob worked for Trace Ambulance in Tinley Park. “While it was at times demanding and frustrating for him, Rob gained many good friends and truly developed his sense of compassion and desire to help others in need,” said Kent Davis.

And it is that desire to help others that has spurred the Davises to establish an award fund in Rob’s name at the University of Illinois, where his sister, Kate, is a sophomore in Animal Science.

“With the death of your child, you have many regrets and fears. Among our regrets is that Robert didn’t get a chance to make his impact on the world at large; among the fears is that he will be forgotten, his name not remembered,” said Kent Davis. “We hope that the endowment will allow Robert’s name to ‘live on’ at the University that he loved so much, and that perhaps it will make a small difference in another student’s life, who will go on and make an impact on the world.”