Danny Davis
Danny Davis was born on this date in 1924. He was a Black boxer, businessman, and community activist.
Daniel Webster Davis was from Minneapolis, MN, one of 11 children of Bessie and Clinton Davis. He was very close to his mother and graduated from Minneapolis North High School. As a young boy, he was active in the Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House in North Minneapolis and participated in its many programs, including boxing.
As a young boxer, he was influenced and trained by Harry Davis, Sr., and this occupation endeared him to the local community. Davis’ professional boxing career spanned from 1950 to 1958 and was marked by many victories. He fought 42 times, won 24 (10 by knockout), lost 15, and had three draws. He married Rita Ketchum on July 11, 1949, and they had six daughters: Cheryl, Lynn, Danielle, Leslie, Kathleen, and Kristin.
He started his own business, Ebony Interiors, Inc., in 1976. Davis also worked for Minneapolis Public Schools as a Compliance Specialist from 1980-1993. After retiring from the Minneapolis Public School's Board of Education, he was able to spend more time developing his many community endeavors using his generous giving nature. He founded Let's Work Together, Inc. (LWT Club). He sponsored the Richard Green Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament (Richard Green was a much-loved former superintendent of the Minneapolis Schools, who died suddenly in 1989).
Davis received numerous awards and recognitions, including "Danny Davis Day" through the city of Minneapolis in 1991, and was inducted into the Twin Cities Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2005. Daniel W. Davis died on December 27, 2007.
