LWVAC is proud to have several Life Members—those who have been League members for 50 consecutive years! We’ve set out to interview them. Here we talk with Jeanne Davis, as first published in the April 2020 LWVAC Voter.

It was African History that brought Jeanne Davis to Gainesville.

She was raised in Minnesota, but graduated from Grinnell College (Iowa) with an English major and elementary minor. It was there that she met her husband-to-be, Hunt Davis, Jr. After college, Jeanne taught elementary school, first in Beloit, Wisconsin, and then, after her marriage, in Madison. Hunt continued his education at the University of Wisconsin, earning a PhD in African History.

They spent a year in Capetown, South Africa, in 1965 while Hunt gathered research. When they returned to the states, Hunt was offered a teaching position at UF, so they moved to town in 1967.

When did you join the League?

I joined the League soon after moving to Gainesville in September, 1967. Enid Mahon, League president at the time, was the wife of the chair of the history department and she took me under her wing. Also, Jean Chalmers’ husband David was a member of the history department, so I was double-teamed. They said that I should get out and meet people. And, of course, another one of those people was Polly Doughty!

What issues have moved you the most?

My first big League project—in the early 70’s—was writing a position paper with Jane Hiers as chair of that committee. I can still see her living room floor with news clippings spread out all over it! The subject was: “Should we do away with the Electoral College?” The conclusion was a resounding “Yes!”

Over the years Jeanne served both on the Education Committee and on the League Board. Jeanne worked in the library at J. J. Finley for twenty years.

What big changes have you seen in the landscape—political, the League, Gainesville?

• We have seen the student population in Gainesville soar. When we moved here, there were only 18,000 students at UF; Santa Fe was just starting up. There have been so many positive changes as Gainesville “grew up,” such as the Harn Museum of Art, the Phillips Center for Performing Arts, and the relocated UF Museum of Natural History.
• Today’s women are working at full-time jobs and also busy with their families. It’s hard for them to make time for worthy organizations. So, LWV fights the battle of being an older group, finding it hard to fold in energetic younger women. But, younger people are active in political parties here.

What advice or lessons learned would you pass on to our members?

• Show up! If you feel positive, get out there. Write the letters; make the calls.
• Get out to vote…and tell your friends!