Nancy Randolph Davis was required to stay outside the classroom during college instruction, all because of the color of her skin. This sculpture is a wonderful way to honor a woman whose perseverance enabled her to further her education and teach in Oklahoma schools for 43 years.
This is just the second full-life statue of a human on the OSU campus. It is located in the courtyard of the Human Sciences building, with benches and flowers nearby. The total height appears to be about 7'. Miss Davis is framed by a broken door frame, all composed of bronze. She is wearing her graduation cap, and holding a book in front of her with both hands. Her collared dress is ankle-lenth, with short sleeves. Miss Davis is looking straight ahead, ready to face whatever comes her way. A plaque is on the ground in front of the figure. It includes a QR code to be scanned for more infomration. Around the base of the sculpture is a bronze rim, with text listed below, after her biography.
From the College of Human Sciences, Oklahoma State University website:
Nancy Randolph Davis, the first African-American student at Oklahoma State University and a graduate of the College of Human Sciences is among the four new members set to be inducted to the prestigious OSU Hall of Fame.
Davis will be inducted posthumously at a ceremony Friday, February 9, at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center.
Induction into the OSU Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed by Oklahoma State University. It recognizes alumni and former students with outstanding lifetime achievements in society and professional life.
In 1949, Davis became the first African-American enrollee at what was then Oklahoma A&M College. She had previously received her bachelor’s degree in home economics from Langston University in 1948. Davis began her teaching career in 1948 at Dunjee High School in Spencer, Oklahoma. She attended OSU during the summers and received her master’s degree in 1952.
Davis retired from Oklahoma’s Public Education System in 1991 after 43 years of service, 20 years at Dunjee High School and 23 years at Star Spencer High School.
She was also active in the Oklahoma City N.A.A.C.P. Youth Council, a member of the Oklahoma Retired Teachers Association, Langston University Alumni Association, OSU Alumni Association and the OSU Black Alumni Association.
In 1999, Davis was honored with the OSU Distinguished Alumni Award, and OSU’s Davis Hall in residential life was named in her honor in 2001. Each year, OSU celebrates “Nancy Randolph Davis Day” at both the OSU-Stillwater and OSU-OKC campuses. She was also the recipient of the OSU College of Human Sciences’ Enhancing Human Lives Award and was inducted into OSU’s Greek Hall of Fame in 2012.
Davis has also been recognized and honored multiple times by the state of Oklahoma. In 1991, Governor David Walters designated May 31 as “Nancy Randolph Davis Day,” and she was the recipient of the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. Davis was also inducted by the Ntu Art Association into the Oklahoma Afro American Hall of Fame. In 2015, she was inducted posthumously into the Oklahoma African-American Educators Hall of Fame.
Davis was married to the late longtime educator, Fred C. Davis. She was the mother of Dr. Nancy L. Davis of Oklahoma City and Calvin O. Davis, Esq., of Lubbock, Texas, and the stepmother of Freddye M. Davis of Kansas City. She also had two grandchildren. She was a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.
Davis passed away March 23, 2015. Her children, Calvin and Nancy Lynn, will be accepting the award in her honor.
Text on plaque:
Jane DeDecker
Nancy Randolph Davis
Bronze, 2019
Nancy Randolph Davis (1926-2015) became the first African-American enrollee at Oklahoma State University, then Oklahoma A&M College, in 1949 and received her master's degree in 1952. Davis taught Oklahoma's public education system for 43 years and was also a major civil rights activist in the state.
(QR code to scan on plaque)
Support for this sculpture was provided by the OSU Foundation and Oklahoma State University.
Text around edge of sculpture base:
"I was never trying to make history. I was just a regular woman and teacher wanting to further my education so I could improve my community and the lives of my students." Nancy Randolph Davis Oklahoma A&M 1949
A link about Nancy Randolph Davis:
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visit link)