James "Jimmy" Davis. "He lived while he lived."

James Davis, Glen Cove's champion of civil rights who committed his adult life to going out of his way to assist people of any color with problems related to discrimination in any form, died on Nov. 13, 2001. Mr. Davis, affectionately known as Jimmy, was 74 when he died. He leaves a legacy of tenacious, patient and dignified efforts to eradicate discrimination in his city, state and country. The man who spoke quietly of standing shoulder to shoulder with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a segregated South, being cursed at and spat upon, being shot at while seeking cover in a church, was able to break through barriers of segregation paving the way for generations to come. And Mr. Davis accomplished this in his way---one day at a time, peacefully.

An inspiring celebration of his life, with Rev. Roger Williams officiating, was held in his beloved First Baptist Church on Monday, Nov. 19. The respect and admiration Mr. Davis garnered during his lifetime was clearly visible as hundreds gathered in the church to remember him. His fellow Legionnaires from the American Legion Young Simmons Post 1765 bid him a sad farewell as Commander Dave Hubbard recalled how Mr. Davis influenced him as his Scout Master. Past Commander Franklin Ward called Mr. Davis the mainstay of Post 1765. One by one, more than a dozen speakers paid tribute to Mr. Davis-elected officials, former Glen Cove teachers, NAACP representatives, Head Start program coordinators, friends and family.

Jimmy was born in Hempstead to the late Eula Carpenter and Issac Davis. After Jimmy graduated from high school the family moved to Glen Cove where his parents purchased a home. Jimmy became a dedicated member of the First Baptist Church in Glen Cove.

He was a Korean War Veteran who served from 1949-1951 in the US Army where he attained the rank of sergeant. After receiving an honorable discharge from the service, James returned to Glen Cove where he married the late Yvonne Myers and the couple had two daughters Sheryl and Tina. Jimmy married his second wife, Mary Crews, and took her daughter, Dana, as his own.

In the early 1950s, James joined the Glen Cove branch of the NAACP where the branch president appointed him as troubleshooter for housing. At that time in Glen Cove, many blacks were relegated to living in sub-standard housing. Through Mr. Davis' efforts and the NAACP much of this substandard housing was closed, the Kennedy Heights houses were built rather than building an extension to the existing projects on Mason Drive, and several slumlords were forced to upgrade or give up substandard apartments they were attempting to rent to blacks.

With the housing problems being effectively addressed, James was then appointed to troubleshoot in the area of school desegregation in Glen Cove. At that time, the late '50s, the South Elementary School was 99.9 percent black and the board of education refused to desegregate even though the district's other elementary schools were predominantly white. James filed suit with his daughter Sheryl named as plaintiff. He and other NAACP members drove up to Albany and picketed the commissioner of education in the pouring rain to emphasize their cause. After much resistance by the Glen Cove Board of Education, all of the elementary schools in Glen Cove were desegregated.

Mr. Davis served as the president of the Glen Cove branch of the NAACP from 1964-1984. Before and during his tenure he participated in voter registration drives in Glen Cove and in Mississippi, the latter under great personal risk. He also traveled to Hattiesburg and Laurel, MS, where he participated in hotel and motel sit-ins. Under his leadership in 1965, the Glen Cove NAACP brought 25 high school and college students from Laurel to Glen Cove for one week. Mr. Davis had the opportunity to meet the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he visited Long Island and again when he traveled south to march with him. James did this on several occasions, most notably with the late Dr. King during the famous Selma to Birmingham March and, in 1963, the March on Washington.

Under Mr. Davis' leadership, the Glen Cove NAACP had several major accomplishments, such as the passage of an Open Housing law in the City of Glen Cove and Nassau County and founding a private not-for-profit corporation, which built 54 units of housing on Dickson Street. They also forced the integration of the Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department and the Glen Cove Police Department.

Mr. Davis served as vice president of the New York NAACP State Conference of Branches from 1972-1982. He also served as regional director of the Long Island Region of Branches from1972-1984.

As his record proves, he was extremely involved in the Civil Rights Movement, many times putting himself at risk and his life in danger. One of the things that he said brought him through all of the perilous times besides his family, was his church. Mr. Davis was a member of the First Baptist Church of Glen Cove where he served in various capacities over the years from trustee to president of the Male Chorus. He credited his deep faith for allowing him to help the hundreds of people who have sought him out and for giving him the strength to persevere even in the most trying of situations.

Although Mr. Davis had retired, he continued to serve his community. He was a former member of the Glen Cove Housing Authority and was the vice president of the Glen Cove Child Day Care-Headstart Center. He also served on the City of Glen Cove Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Commemorative commission since its inception in 1979. He served on this committee as co-chairperson for two years and then as chairperson.

Mr. Davis was blessed with two sons-in-law, Jerome Goodine, Sr. and Thomas Douglas, Jr. He was the grandfather of five: Jerome (Jay) Goodine, Kinshasa Goodine Allen, Ashanti and Kenashia Douglas and Daven Plummer. Survivors include his sister, Dorothy Dupree, brother-in-law William Dupree, granson-in-law Dion Allen, granddaughter-in-law Monique Goodine, cousins Mary Adams, Walter Jackson, Jr., nieces, nephews, Godchildren and great grandchildren Quincy and Jazmine Goodine. The family requests that anyone wishing to do so, please make a donation in Mr. Davis name to the Glen Cove Community Scholarship Fund.