MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
A pioneer in the business community and a community leader has passed. Fred L. Davis was a giant in business and the insurance world with the Fred L. Davis Insurance Company's doors still open in Orange Mound today.
But, the giant footprint Davis left leaves a massive impression beyond the Mid-South. Davis had been ill for some time and died Tuesday afternoon at his Memphis home.
He is remembered as a champion of the City of Memphis. He took on a role of leadership during a very turbulent time in the city's and nation's history.
Through it all, he left a legacy rivaled by few. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland took to Twitter today with condolences saying: "His leadership inspired us to name the Innovation Center at our Entrepreneurs Network Center for him, where his clarion call for building black-owned business will live on."
Davis was first elected to the Memphis City Council in 1967, the same year he founded his insurance agency in historic Orange Mound. His was one of the first black independent agencies in the South. In his second term as councilman, Davis made history as the first black Council Chair during which time he marched beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in support of the striking sanitation workers.
Davis began his road to leadership as a student at Manassas High School and went on to earn his undergraduate degree at Tennessee State University before going on to serve in the Army in France.
Dr. Glenda Glover, president of TSU said in a statement to Local 24, "TSU extends our heartfelt sympathy to his family...Memphis has lost a giant."
Davis was a founding member of Memphis Leadership Foundation, past president of the Liberty Bowl, but his way with people is how he is best remembered by those who knew him, said Rev. Eli Morris of Hope Church.
"There's a passage in Phillipians that says let your gentleness be evident to all. That's what Fred did day in and day out. Rest in peace my friend," said Morris.
Davis was 86 years old. He's survived by his wife of 50 years and 3 children.
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NEWS RELEASE FROM LYNN NORMENT MEDIA:
Fred L. Davis, a respected businessman, civil rights activist and civic leader, has always followed his heart and used a strategic approach in an effort to do the right thing for his community and for the City of Memphis.
Mr. Davis passed around 2:15 pm on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at the home he has shared with his wife for more than 50 years. He had been ill for several months. He was 86.
In 1967, Mr. Davis was elected to the first Memphis City Council when the city transitioned from a Mayor-Commission form of government. That year, he also founded the Fred L. Davis Insurance Company, which has been headquartered at Park Avenue and Airways Boulevard since then.
Soon after taking office, he found himself seeking a resolution for the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike. During those turbulent times, he marched beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in support of the strikers, and was sitting on the edge of the stage when Dr. King made his memorable “Mountain Top” speech days before he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
In 1972, at the beginning of his second City Council term, Davis became the city’s first Black City Council chair. He ended up serving 12 years in the Memphis City Council and was known for his honest, common sense approach to issues.
Even before he ran for City Council, Mr. Davis was intricately involved in community activism and Civil Rights.
While making his mark in politics, Davis opened the Fred L. Davis Insurance Agency, the first Black independent insurance company in six states – Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama and Missouri – and one of the first independent, Black-owned insurance agencies in the South. It has operated at 1374 Airways Boulevard since 1968.
Davis graduated from Manassas High School in Memphis before earning an accounting degree at Tennessee State University, where he met his wife, Ella Singleton Davis. He then served in the Army and was stationed in France. As a young couple, the Davises fought for civil rights and desegregation of Memphis City Schools. When Mrs. Davis was pregnant with their third child, they participated in a school desegregation march while holding their toddler by the hand and pushing their baby in a stroller. Mrs. Davis was the first Black woman to earn an MBA at Memphis State University.
Through the years, Mr. Davis has been exceptionally active in the community. Among the organizations to which he has contributed include:
- Founding Board Member of the Memphis Leadership Foundation
- First Black Board Member of Young Life Urban Ministries world organization; he now serves on the organization’s Emeritus Board
- Board Member of the Assissi Foundation, which has paid out $238 million in grants
- Founder, founding director and past president of the Mid-South Minority Business
- Consortium, the certifying agency of business and government for minority and women businesses
- Member of the Board of the Minority Contract Committee for the National Insurance Agencies of America
- First African-American member of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, Inc.
- Past president of the Liberty Bowl, one of few African Americans to head a major bowl in the United States
- Active with the Economics Club of Memphis and the Society of Entrepreneurs for decades
Among the many recognitions Mr. Davis has received for his service and accomplishments:
- City of Memphis named its minority business service center the Fred L. Davis Innovation Center (2019)
- Board Emeritus Award from Southwest Tennessee Community College
- Foundation for his work and time as a foundation board member (2019)
- Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews
- Kiwanian of the Year Award from the Downtown Kiwanis Club
Mr. Davis has been a dedicated member of Beulah Baptist Church in Orange Mound for 60 years. He was a Deacon and former chair of the Trustee Board. In addition to his wife, Mr. Davis leaves three children: Michael Davis, Marvin Davis and Sheila Davis.
Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today reflected on the life of former City Council member and community leader Fred Davis, who passed Tuesday at 86.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“I’ve known Fred Davis for close to 50 years. There wasn’t a finer, nicer gentleman in politics and government during that period. Mr. Davis brought people together. His was a strong voice for Orange Mound and he was an important member of and was devoted to his beloved Beulah Baptist Church. Mr. Davis encouraged young African Americans to study hard and be successful. It’s a shame he won’t have the large public funeral he deserves during this ongoing pandemic because it would have been immense in numbers and diversity, and a tribute to a life well-lived. He will be missed.”