Clay Davis

Clay Johnson Davis was born in Gatesville, Texas to John Alford Davis & Annie Pearl (Quicksall) Davis on November 25, 1930. He grew up and went to school and church in the Hay Valley community right outside Gatesville. Hay Valley Baptist Church, which stood at the front of their property, served as a one room school house up to 8th grade for all the children in the area. He then enrolled at Gatesville High School. His family had a farm and ranch which included subsistence crops, like corn & cotton, along with pecan, pear, & peach orchards, a large all season garden, & a wide variety of animals such as horses, cows, goats, pigs, & chickens. They usually had Border Collies as working dogs who helped herd & protect all life.

Clay, known as Clayboy to his family, was Best All Around Boy his senior year, 1948, and was an outstanding athlete in all sports, especially football where he won a full scholarship to Navarro Junior College. At the end of those two years with ‘the barracks bunch’ he won a full scholarship to Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.

That summer many lives changed. His fiance, Joan Brown, graduated from Gatesville High School, & they married at Live Oak Baptist Church, which was built on land donated by her family. They honeymooned in Austin, TX. When they returned home, they immediately began helping bring in the cotton crop. During that harvest, the US involvement in the Korean War intensified, and he received a draft notice to report for duty with the United States Army. During Basic Training, Clay was quickly promoted to Squad Leader where he won several Sharpshooter awards. Just as his squad was preparing for their deployment overseas, they went through their final & most rigorous physical where it was revealed that he was legally blind in his left eye. Instead of being Honorably Discharged though, the Army asked if he would stay on and use the education he had already received to take over & modernize the Base Recreational Facility. Not only did he do that, but he developed curriculum which enabled soldiers to blow off steam with one another in tournaments & competitions, help integrate them back in with their wives & girlfriends, in co-ed events & give them an outlet to blend with their children. His curriculum was adopted by several of the bases in the south at that time, which helped reduce what we later would know as PTSD. Knowing he was not going overseas, the Army encouraged him to have his wife join him. Joan quickly got a bookkeeping job in the Base Command center.

After his four years of enlistment ended, Clay began working at Sears. It was there that Dr. Ted Powers encouraged him to use the GI Bill to attend Baylor University. There, he earned his BS in Education, his MS in Education, his Principal’s Certification, & 72 hours toward his PhD in Education. His first job was as assistant principal at South Jr. High School & was moved up to University High School for several years. He had a short stint with Tom Padgitt’s Inc. where he interfaced on all audio visual equipment with the Regional Education Service Center. Joan worked as Head Teller at First Federal Bank in Waco. During the summer, Clay worked for the Waco Parks & Recreation Department managing their 3 public pools: Kiwanis, Sun, & Lions. In 1957, Clay & Joan had their first child, Glenn Clay, followed by Debra Alice in 1959, & Nancy Diane in 1960. Joan developed the American Red Cross Learn to Swim program & the couple worked together at the area swimming pools. Joan finished her BS in Education in 1964 and they both were recruited by M.T. Rice for jobs in the newly built school system outside Waco, known at Midway ISD. They moved from Waco to Woodway that same year where they lived for 7 years. After a brief 1 year stretch at Troy ISD outside Temple, they both answered the call back where it all began, Gatesville. They continued to live there until 1979, at which time they built their dream home at their 200 acre place 2 miles from Mother Neff State Park, the first & oldest state park in the system. They spent several years at nearby Belton ISD setting up their Special Education Campus. Clay finished his 38 year career as the elementary school principal at Bruceville-Eddy ISD, while Joan worked as a special education teacher at the women’s prison in Gatesville.

After he retired, he began sculpting in hardwood, taking classes from world famous sculptor, Charlie Boren, who lives outside Burleson Texas. His poetry developed at the same time, working with his youngest daughter, Nancy, to hone in on his voice. This led to public speaking, especially to encourage other cancer survivors. He became an official babysitter for his youngest grandson also. They spent many hours on the road to Austin, Texas while Clay served 2 terms on the Silver Haired Legislature protecting the rights of senior citizens and promoting new legislation.

He is survived by 3 children, all Baylor University graduates, 3 grandchildren, Tyler Miller & her husband Rod of McGregor, Tana, who just graduated with her Masters Degree from North Texas State University, & GC, a sophomore at McClennan Community College, & 4 great grandchildren, 1 sister, Mary Ann Graham & husband, Vernon, of Denton, Texas & multiple cousins, nephews, & nieces.

Clay spent countless hours volunteering with The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Johnson County, & donated time to Camp Fire Tesuya with his granddaughters. He earned the moniker, Man From the Old River Road while trying to prevent the destruction of 400 year old trees, American Indian burial mounds, & the historic Mother Neff State Park. He is responsible for getting the old river road & Mother Neff State Park on the Texas Registry of Historic Places, with the help of Governor Ann Richards, & The National Registry of Historic Places. Friends of Mother Neff State Park was formed by a small group of like minded local historians included several Baylor University Museum staff & directors.

The summer of 2009, Joan was called home to be with the Lord after a long battle with her third bout of cancer, & Clay, after surviving his second cancer, enjoyed visits from family & friends, hunting, fishing, & playing dominos in the shop. He is preceded in death by his wife, his parents, his brother, and Curtis Alford Davis & his wife Thelma of Gatesville.
He became quite famous during his lifetime for coining phrases, like: Garden Seed, That Ol’ Dog Won’t Hunt, It’s Gonna Be Too Wet To Plow, & Powder River.