Perry resident Gail Davis, age 96, passed away on Wednesday in Perry. Mr. Davis was likely one of the oldest living African-American high school athletes in our state.
The Gail Davis family has contributed significantly to the community of Perry. The Iowa High School Athletic Association Track & Field All-Time best performances include Gail Davis in the javelin (6th). Mr. Davis was a star on the undefeated 1935 Bluejay football team. Known as the “Dusky Dynamiter” and the “Brown Bomber”, he continues to hold the school record for single season punting average.
Mr. Davis was the first African-American member of the Perry Otley Masonic Lodge. He was a member of the Perry Historic Preservation Committee and a frequent spectator at PHS athletic events.
As a young man, Gail Davis left high school to serve in the defense industry during WW II. On April 2, 2009 the Perry Community School District honored Mr. Davis with the presentation of an honorary diploma.
On March 12, 2007, the Perry Community School District Board of Education in cooperation with the Perry Community School Student Activities Department approved a resolution declaring that the Perry Relays be recognized as the Perry High School Davis Relays in honor of the manner in which he represented his family, the Perry Community School District, and our community.
The Gail Davis family includes son Dwight (deceased)a member of the Perry High School 1962 Iowa High School Class A State Outdoor Track Championship Team, son Ron, and daughters Carol and Janice.
(Ron Davis reaped numerous honors while performing at Perry High School. He achieved legendary status in his track career. Ron is remembered as one of the finest track performers in the state of Iowa. At the time of his graduation in 1965, Ron Davis held seven Iowa High School State Boys Track & Field records and two National Federation State Boys Track & Field records. He set Iowa High School Class A State Track Indoor records in the long jump, 180 yard low hurdles, and the fifty yard dash while capturing state titles and scoring all team points as Perry High School finished second in the 1965 Iowa High School Class A State Indoor Track Meet. Ron’s efforts earned the respect of the entire community of Perry as well as neighboring communities. The Iowa High School Athletic Association Track & Field All-Time best performances include Ron Davis in the 180 yard low hurdles (5th) and 220 yard dash (14th). His times of 9.9 seconds in the 100 yard dash and 19.1 seconds in the 180 yard low hurdles remain the best of all-time in his class. Following his high school career Ron Davis earned selection as a NCAA Track & Field two-time All-American while competing collegiately in meets with Olympic athletes Bob Beamon, John Carlos, Lee Evans, Richmond Flowers, Curtis Mills, and many other world class athletes of the time. He is a recent inductee into the Iowa High School Track & Field Association Hall of Fame.)