O.L. (Leo) Davis

DAVIS, O. L. (LEO) 1922 - 2013 O. L. (Leo) Davis, a New Mexico resident for 65 years and Albuquerque resident for 48 years, passed away in Albuquerque, NM, on August 10, 2013, at the age of 90. He was born at home in the small town of Coleman, OK, on September 26, 1922. He attended school in nearby Wapanucka, OK, graduating from high school in 1940. As a child and youth affected by the Great Depression, he worked in his father's drug store, delivered newspapers, and repaired small appliances. After high school, Leo attended Murray State College in Tishomingo, OK, until his entry into the electrical construction industry in support of the war effort, becoming one of the youngest individuals in Oklahoma to earn his Journeyman's ticket. His early intention of a career in electrical engineering was interrupted by the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, which prompted his enlistment in the U.S. Navy. He volunteered for submarine service while in boot camp at Great Lakes, IL, and completed submarine warfare training at New London, CT, before his assignment as an Electrician's Mate First Class and Fire Control Mate First Class on the USS Cod. While a crew member on the USS Cod, Leo participated in seven combat patrols throughout the South China Sea, with a home port of Freemantle, Australia. His wartime awards and decorations include the coveted silver dolphin submariner's badge, the Bronze Star, Navy Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. Leo was honorably discharged from the Navy in January 1946, and resumed his higher education in electrical engineering by returning to Murray State College and earning his Associate's Degree in E.E. He married Edris Jean Addy of Wapanucka, OK, on June 1, 1947, and soon after accepted employment with the Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company of Santa Fe, NM, prompting a move from Oklahoma to Espanola, NM, where he and Edris lived while he worked as an electrical construction foreman during the expansion of what would become Los Alamos National Laboratory following the Manhattan Project. Leo worked for Reynolds Electric for the next 17 years, rising through the company to become Vice President before buying the power line division and moving it to Albuquerque in 1965, where he later started his own high tension power line and electrical substation construction company, Power Constructors, Inc. After leading his company through several successful years of business as Power Constructors, he transitioned it to a new entity, Manzano Western, Inc., and also started another company, Canada, Inc., specializing in construction equipment and truck body modification. Leo was a 72-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), a Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), served multiple terms as district governor of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), and participated in numerous reviews and updates to the National Electrical Code as a member of the Codes and Standards Committee. Finally retiring in 1999 at the age of 75, Leo directed his attention and energy to his passion for submarines and veterans' affairs. He was a charter member of the New Mexico Veterans Memorial Board and spent untold hours volunteering his service toward the development and completion of the New Mexico Veterans Memorial site and facilities in Albuquerque. He served as president of the Bullhead Base of the U.S. Submarine Veterans, Inc., and was a proud member of the Holland Club, a division of the SubVets organization named after the very first US submarine, the Holland. As a Navy League member, he was active in supporting the newly formed Bataan Military Institute in Albuquerque, and also spent considerable time and energy sponsoring and working toward the commissioning of the USS New Mexico, one of the Navy's newest Virginia-class fast-attack nuclear submarines. His participation as an exceptionally active member of the Submarine Veterans of WWII was a vitally important part of his life, and he was immensely proud of the USS Cod Submarine Memorial, the actual submarine he served on in WWII, now docked in Lake Erie in Cleveland, OH, and designated as a National Historic Landmark. Leo was preceded in death by his sister, Esther Naomi (Davis) French, of Midwest City, OK (2003), and is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Edris Jean (Addy) Davis, of Albuquerque; son, Colonel (Ret) Thorne Davis, and wife Mary-Lou, of Castle Rock, CO; son, Mark Davis, and wife Karry, of Tijeras, NM; granddaughter, Jennifer Erin (Davis) Green, and husband Rob, and great grandchildren Logan and Cassidy, of Castle Rock, CO; and grandson, Sean Matthew Davis, and wife Charlotte, and great granddaughter Bella, of Durham, NC. Services are scheduled for Thursday, August 15, 2013, at 10:30 AM at St. John's United Methodist Church, 2600 Arizona NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the USS Cod Submarine Memorial, 5274 Townsend Road, Richfield, Ohio 44286; and/or the Navy League of the United States, New Mexico Council, P.O. Box 91554, Albuquerque, NM 87199.