Lisa Davis: The Elton Charles Davis Memorial Scholarship

Elton Davis (1925-2009)

Elton was born in 1925 on a farm in Craigmont, Idaho, one of six children. He joined the Navy in 1943 and was one of its first radar operators in Honolulu. He fondly remembered his Navy years, since he was stationed on the East Coast as well as in Korea and Japan. This, he said, gave him a taste of other cultures and the urge to travel.

Elton earned a B.A. in education, and an M.A. in religious studies from Pepperdine University. Early in his career, he was a minister in the Church of Christ in Portland, Los Angeles, and Pasadena. Elton later received a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Southern California. He taught psychology, humanities, and religious studies at Pasadena City College for 36 years. He loved teaching and was a mentor to countless students. For many years was also a clinical psychologist in private practice in Pasadena.

Elton loved the outdoors, skiing, and climbed some of the highest mountains on five continents. At the age of 69, he climbed Alaska’s Mt.McKinley. Elton traveled widely with his family and friends, and loved exploring exotic location and climbing mountains with his wife Lisa.

Elton was intellectually curious, read widely, and always open to new ideas. He loved art and music, and was convinced that higher education could not only create a good livelihood, but led to a fulfilling life.

This scholarship was created for a student from the social science division planning to transfer to a four-year university.