Board of Trustees member Theodore Z. Davis, who had a relationship of more than 60 years with the university, died on April 12, 2020. He was 86.

“Judge Davis was a stalwart member of the Board of Trustees and was proud of his Temple heritage,” said Board of Trustees Chair Mitchell Morgan. “He would often talk about how he had met his late wife, Joan, in Mitten Hall when they were both students. We will miss his wise counsel.”

President Richard M. Englert echoed the praise.

“Ted Davis was a dedicated public servant with a tremendous love for his alma mater,” said Englert. “He brought a lifetime of experience to his roles at Temple, whether he was teaching as an adjunct at the law school or as chair of the board’s Audit Committee. He will truly be missed.”

Davis served on the university’s Board of Trustees since 1991. In addition, he was a member of the board for Temple University Health System, where he chaired the Audit and Compliance Committee. He also served on the Beasley School of Law’s Board of Visitors. 

Davis grew up in Camden, N.J., and came to Temple in 1954. He graduated four years later with a bachelor's degree in accounting from what is now the Fox School of Business. He returned to Temple and in 1963 he earned his JD from the current Beasley School of Law. 

He joined the law firm of Bennett, Wingate and Pascoe, where he specialized in corporate tax law and served as an assistant city attorney for the City of Camden and an assistant county prosecutor for Camden County. By 1973, he had been appointed municipal judge for the City of Camden. The late New Jersey Chief Justice Richard J. Hughes appointed Davis a member of the Supreme Court Board of Bar Examiners in 1974. Davis subsequently became its chairman and served in that role until 1981.

In 1986, he was named chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force on Minority Concerns, the first task force of its kind in the United States. Under his leadership, the task force completed an examination of racial and ethnic biases in the New Jersey Judiciary.

Davis was appointed a New Jersey Superior Court judge in 1981 and named presiding judge of the Chancery Division-General Equity in 1991. He retired from the bench in 2003. 

In January 2007, Davis was appointed interim chief operating officer of his hometown city of Camden by then-Gov. Jon Corzine. He served in that role for two years.