Warren B. Davis, who turns 100 today, December 16, recently pondered how different life is today when he was born.
History buffs might tell you that in 1920 the United States consisted of only 48 states; The law of Volstead, prohibiting any manufacture, transport, or sale of intoxicating beverages, was the law of the country. Electricity and indoor plumbing were fairly new features for homes outside most major cities. and films were mostly black and white silent films.
When Davis was asked about the most dramatic changes he’s seen in the last 100 years, communication was high on his list.
“When I was a little kid in Muskogee, Oklahoma,” Davis explained, “we picked up the phone and an operator said, ‘Number please.’ They would tell them and they would make the call. Almost everyone has a phone today in my pocket that does all sorts of things. But I don’t have a smartphone, I have a stupid phone. It’s enough to talk, but nothing but my children’s phones. “
Another change over the years has proven challenging. According to Davis, in the early days computers were huge monster devices. Now they have gotten smaller with all sorts of complications.
“That computer of mine over there is the bane of my existence,” he added with a chuckle. “Bankers forever accuse me of doing something wrong and cutting me off my bank account. I understand it’s for my protection but every time I make a mistake they cut me off and I have to go to the local bankers and have them help sort it out for me. “
Davis is no stranger to helping out himself. He was there for others more than once.
With a degree in petroleum engineering, Davis worked for the Gulf Oil Corporation in Tulsa in 1941. When World War II broke out in 1942, he joined the Army Air Corps.
“I was in the Eighth Air Force in England for two years,” he explained. “As a squadron engineer with about 100 mechanics working for me, our job was to fly a fleet of B-17s.”
Davis explained that when his bombers took off to bomb the Third Reich, engine failures sometimes forced a pilot to abandon a mission before dropping their bombs. Davis and a line manager analyzed the problem and soon found a way to detect engine failures in advance.
“We had the lowest abortion rate in the eighth Air Force,” he said with a smile.
It also earned Davis a Bronze Star, a United States award given to members of the United States Armed Forces for their heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
After the war, Davis was back at Gulf Oil Corporation, working his way up to become chief economist in the planning department.
“The combination of engineer and economist may sound a little strange,” said Davis. “But I started out as a peritoneum engineer in the Tulsa Division. Then they gave us Canada to develop the oil resources there, and a vice president was looking for an economist. He said he didn’t think he could teach an economist, but he thought he could teach an industrial engineer. So I got promoted to be an economist and went to work and studied economics. “
In short, Davis was also a proven problem solver.
“I ended up doing that for Gulf Oil Corporation,” he continued. “When a Gulf Oil Corporation executive had a difficult problem, it landed in my lap and I went to work to solve it for them. They never gave me any part of the business to run for myself, but I was always an employee and my salary at the time of my retirement was a vice president salary. Executives asked for me because they wanted me to work for them. And that has a positive effect on your salary when you have multiple executives you want and are ready to buy you from the others. “
When Davis retired in 1983, his wife Jane went to the Outer Banks.
“I’ve lived in cities all the time and that was one of the main reasons we moved here,” said Davis. “Muskogee is a medium-sized city and Tulsa is a large city. I moved to Pittsburgh at the instigation of the Gulf Oil Corporation, and Pittsburgh is a big city. When I retired, I wanted to get out of town and this is the boondocks here. “
While many people prefer a slower life in retirement, this wasn’t the lifestyle Davis wanted.
In addition to activities like kite flying, diving, tennis, golf, sailing, and square dancing, Davis also found time for community work.
“My approach to retirement was that you can’t sit around and do nothing,” said Davis. “I feel like one person should be doing something for the community, and I’ve tried this in the 36 or 37 years since I moved here.”
Reading a list of his volunteer activities one might wonder how he found time to work on them all.
An active member of the Outer Banks Presbyterian Church, Davis was an elder on the board of trustees and superintendent of Sunday School. In addition, there is his work on the Outer Banks hotline, which also includes work in the Thrift Shop and as treasurer of this organization.
In addition to serving as vice president of the Southern Shores Civic Association, Davis served on two association committees. He volunteered at the Outer Banks Forum, where he was director and treasurer of the Albemarle students in Elizabeth City and Manteo.
Not one to sit around, Davis spent many volunteer hours at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service building houses for red wolves, working on pumping stations, and working on welcome center kiosks. This included one day a week at the Pea Island Visitor Center between 1985 and 2010 and one day a week at the Manteo Visitor Center from 2010-18. And don’t skip the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society, where he was treasurer between 1991 and 2016.
For anyone interested in his athletic engagement, Davis also served as the starter for high school and senior games track meetings.
“I thought I could do something for my youngest daughter,” said Davis. “She was a distance runner in the Pittsburgh area. Trainers did and that’s bad business for a trainer to be a beginner. The coach has to be free to coach the team. So I have a man who teaches me how to be a starter in distance racing. My son was interested in baseball, but I couldn’t take the time to lead a team, so I became a referee for several years. “
Davis went on to continue serving as a track meet starter after joining the Outer Banks until he was around 80 years old.
“In the meantime, I’ve been drafted to start the Senior Games Meetings,” he continued. “I only quit her when I was 90. I tried to quit them once or twice but the people who ran them said they didn’t like my replacement and asked me to come back please. So I started again, but at 90 my left knee started to behave and I couldn’t rush like you have to to start a meeting. So I quit when I was 90. “
Davis is known throughout the community and has been recognized as an Outstanding North Carolina Volunteer. He received the US President’s Award for Service and Citizen Participation.
That’s not to say that life went smoothly all the way.
In 1989 his first wife Jane died of cancer. He married his second wife Susan, a Norwegian, in 1998 and she died in February 2005 after a long illness.
“No more women,” said Davis with a chuckle.
Even without a marriage in his future, Davis has his rescue dog Ness, his four children: Jan Partin, Connie Davis Young, Beth Eddy and Jim Davis as well as nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren with whom he can share his memories.
And his advice to young people today?
“If you want people to hire you for a job that pays you a salary,” advised Davis. “Then study science and mathematics in school. If you have a degree in science, math, engineering or anything like that, people will pick you up right away and pay you a good salary. And if you insist on something that keeps you amused for college, chances are you’ll be looking for a job all the time. “
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