Wednesday, September 10, 2003
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Wednesday, September 10, 2003 |
Speaker's death leads CCSU to revise Korean War seminarKorean War hero Raymond G. Davis of Conyers passed away Wednesday, Sept. 3, of a heart attack at age 88. The retired Marine General was scheduled to address audiences at Clayton State in an Oct. 2 presentation, "The North Korean Chosin Campaign of 1950: General Raymond Davis Speaks." In light of his passing, Clayton State's Dr. Susan Henry, coordinator for the session, has revised the Oct. 2 program to include a panel discussion featuring local Korean War veterans who served in the Chosin Campaign of 1950. Andy Jackson, a Floridian who was a POW during the Chosin Campaign, will also be present to tell of his experiences. A prerecorded video interview with the late General Davis will also be shown. "Given the storytelling skills of a couple of these guys, we should have a very interesting session," says Henry. "I am sure that General Davis would appreciate being remembered once again by these men." Davis was the most decorated American alive, having received the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, two Distinguished Service Medals, two Silver Stars, two Legend of Merit awards, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, five Presidential Unit citations, and three Naval Unit citations. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held Oct. 2 in Room 101 of the Harry S. Downs Center for Continuing Education located on the Clayton State main campus in Morrow. No advance reservations are required. Attendees will still be able to hear Davis tell the Chosin story via video, and listen to Chosin Reservoir survivors recall that 40 degrees-below-zero Korean winter when they trekked eight miles behind enemy lines to rescue two Marine regiments who were trapped by a quarter-million Chinese troops. Davis is survived by his wife Willa Knox Davis, sons Raymond and Gordon, daughter Willa Kerr, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. His memory will be preserved by Clayton State as the University plans to incorporate Gen. Davis's war experiences into curriculums in the University's School of Arts & Sciences. The Oct. 2 Korean War vet panel discussion is sponsored in conjunction with Lyceum and Clayton State's bachelor degrees in History and in Communication and Media Studies.
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