Frederick Corbet Davison - Death and Legacy

Death and Legacy

On April 28, 2004, Fred Davison died from esophageal cancer in Augusta, Georgia and was buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens.

Accomplishments during Davison's presidency include:

• Funding from research contracts and grants climbed from less than $7 million to more than $27 million during his presidency
• The University budget tripled
• Enrollment rose in all but two years while he was president, climbing from 15,600 to 25,000
• He conferred more than 106,000 degrees, more than the total conferred by all 16 of his predecessors
• The number of faculty increased from 1,150 to 1,850 during his administration
• Funding from research contracts and grants increased
• Graduate enrollment doubled, and the number of doctoral degrees awarded annually rose significantly
• In 1980, UGA was designated as the 15th Sea Grant institution
• The School of Environmental Design was established (joined with the Institute of Ecology in 2001 to become the College of Environment & Design)
• Creation of the Rusk Center for International and Comparative Law (named for former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk, a Davison recruit to the UGA law faculty)
• Creation of the Rural Development Center, the Small Business Development Center, and the Center for Global Policy Studies
• In the 1970s UGA ranked in five national surveys as one of the top 50 research institutions in the country.
• Laid the foundation for the Life Sciences Building, a $32 million, 257,000-square-foot (23,900 m2) structure that houses the genetics and biochemistry departments (renamed Fred C. Davison Life Sciences Complex in April 2004)
• At his retirement as UGA president, alumni and friends contributed about $900,000 to endow the Fred C. Davison Professorship, an endowed chair in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine

The following buildings were opened on the UGA campus during Davison's tenure:

• Alexander Campbell King Law Library (1967)
• Boyd Graduate Studies/Science Library Research Center (1968)
• Psychology/Journalism Complex (1968)
• University Bookstore (1968)
• State Botanical Garden (1969 – 1985)
• Aderhold Hall (1971)
• Miller Plant Sciences Building (1972)
• Family Housing Extension (1972 – 1974)
• Ecology building (1974)
• Library Annex (1974)
• Henry Feild Tennis Stadium (1977)
• Caldwell Hall (1981)
• Law Annex (1981)
• Tate Student Center (1983)
• Second deck added to Sanford Stadium (1967)
• Enclosure of the east end of Sanford Stadium (1981)

Other notable facts/honors:

• Served as Boy Scouts of America Georgia-Carolina Council President
• Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness annually awards the Fred C. Davison Distinguished Scientist Award to honor scientists or engineers from the Savannah River Site (SRS) whose lifetime scientific contributions have been exceptional
• American Veterinary Medical Foundation Honor Roll Member