This is the fifth of seven profiles of the 2020 honorees of the Outstanding Women of Clinton County Class of 2020. More information on the event, including how to obtain tickets, will appear at the end of each profile.
In the 50 years that Barbara Davis has served as an active volunteer in the community, it might fairly be said that her work has touched the lives of nearly everyone residing in Clinton County today.
Raised by Quaker parents in Chester Township with her six siblings, she graduated from Kingman High School at a time when women’s roles in the community were more narrowly defined to family, church and home.
Married in 1950 and the mother of three children, she settled into familiar patterns expected of women of her generation. It would not last. Her restlessness to do more was evident even before her youngest child turned six, when Davis started blazing a prolific trail of public service and engagement.
In the years ahead, she would volunteer her time and energy with organizations as varied as the individuals that populate Clinton County, and too numerous to fully acknowledge. Her volunteer work continues to this day.
At various times, Davis has spent time lending her administrative and organizational talents to the health department, Wilmington schools, Girl Scouts and Brownies, and Future Farmers of America.
At the Murphy Theatre in the late 1980s, she successfully advocated for more family friendly movies and volunteered when theatre crowds matched the big acts appearing there, Rosemary Clooney and well-known Nashville stars among them.
Davis also served as an election day poll worker for many years, and she remains an active member of the Community Action board of advisers.
Her work with the Agricultural Society and the Clinton County Fair also continues to this day, 48 years after she first offered her organizational help. She is twice a recipient of the society’s community service award.
Her work with the Clinton County Corn Festival is among her most dearly loved volunteer service. A participant in the festival organization since its inception in 1972, Davis remains an active force in all aspects of the annual September event, from working with food vendors to general logistics.
Her service with what was then known as the Clinton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary began with the hospital’s opening in 1951. Now known as the Health Alliance of Clinton County, Davis continues to provide volunteer assistance to the Hospital Ball, the group’s annual Christmas season fundraiser for cancer patients.
A current and active member of the Clinton County Women’s Club, Davis works to help raise funds an annual college scholarship offered to a female high school graduate. She is a member of Chester Friends Meeting, where she once volunteered helping with Vacation Bible School.
Davis is a 30-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Hebron Rebekah Lodge.
Friends describe Davis as dependable, and someone who will always do what she agrees to do without any expectation of personal recognition.
She is always humble, does a job well, and “always completes the task.”
Others who know Davis observe that she’s an excellent example of what one person can accomplish when they give themselves to a life of service.
Tickets for the 2020 Outstanding Women of Clinton County luncheon are $25 (cash or check accepted, payable to “OWCC”). Reservations can be made at the Wilmington News Journal, 1547 Rombach Ave., Wilmington, OH 45177. The News Journal’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If you have any questions, please call 937-382-2574. Reservations will be accepted through Monday, March 2.
The event is sponsored by the Wilmington News Journal, with generous support from First State Bank, Peoples Bank, Wilmington Savings Bank, and Wilmington College.
