Blackwell Schools Hall of Fame banquet set for March 30

Becky Fey Davis, a 1959 Blackwell High School graduate, is the 2023 Blackwell Public School Foundation Hall of Fame inductee.

Davis was selected as the inductee because of her life of service with the Red Cross, which took her across the United States, Korea, Turkey and Vietnam.

Davis will be introduced at the March 30 foundation banquet at 6:30 p.m. at the Kay Room of the Kay Electric Cooperative building, 300 W. Doolin Ave. Tickets cost $20 each and are on sale at the Blackwell Chamber of Commerce and all city banks. The deadline for purchasing tickets is March 24.

Davis began her career of service while in junior high school. She was mentored by Red Cross women who saw her talent and gave her jobs to gain experience and confidence. She went from answering Red Cross phones during a flood to helping with the swimming program.

After community scholarships allowed her to graduate college, it was the Red Cross that sent her out into the world. She was an early part of the Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas program to help military personnel. She was in Korea and Turkey and was part of the first group that went to Vietnam in 1966 early in America’s involvement.

In addition to helping servicemen in the war, she also worked with American doctors who helped deliver babies at a Vietnamese hospital. In a war so full of conflict both in Vietnam and at home, her only thought was of the servicemen, she said.

“Fear wasn’t permitted,” she said. “We didn’t discuss fear even with ourselves.”

She continued her Red Cross career in the United States, working with at-risk and migrant children. Davis’ Red Cross career also focused on leadership development.

“I was given an amazing start in Blackwell by the strong Red Cross women, who were my role models,” she said.

After marrying one of her high school classmates, Gary Davis, she moved to Ponca City, where she has continued to volunteer at her church and at the Marland Children’s Home.