Bain Davis

LIFE STORIES

June 28, 1940 – November 14, 2019

Bain was born in Washington, DC to Bainbridge C. Davis and Virginia H. Davis on June 28, 1940. He went to school at St. Albans in Washington, DC and graduated from Oakwood Friends in Poughkeepsie, New York. He graduated from Drew University and continued at Drew in Seminary.

Bain worked as a Community Developer, taught and did fundraising for the Ecumenical Institute/Institute of Cultural Affairs for 15 years. He was involved in Quaker Education, The Interfaith Council of Bennington, Vermont and New England Society of Friends Committees. He enjoyed tennis, watching sports, friends and family.

Bain is survived by his wife of 55 years, Marjorie Hawes, sons Henry, Shawn and his wife Maria and grandson Ryan, Kirk and his wife Miriam, sister Dana along with several nephews and nieces.

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Bain joined the order in the summer of 1966. He was assigned to the Academy that fall.  When houses were begun, Bain was assigned as second prior with Rick Loudermilk to Oklahoma and then a couple months later was assigned to   to Rockford where he worked in the local church experiment with churches in Wisconsin and Illinois. Later Bain and his family were assigned to Chicago where he began doing development where he developed a program to reach major donors until he and Marj left the Order in 1980.

REMEMBERING BAIN DAVIS

With fond memories of one of my RS-I pedagogy teachers. Marge and Bain and son Henry lived on our floor in 1969 in the main building  of the old seminary on the West Side.  I can’t remember what we called it.  I think Marge was teaching in the preschool then.  They were very helpful in our settling into that strange new atmosphere with our 18 month old son. Journey on, dear colleague! With care and thanksgiving for his life and significant service,

           ~~  Lynda Cock

I have a number of fine memories of Bain. On a development trip in New Orleans, we stopped to eat near Lake Pontchartrain, where,  at dusk, he pointed out the profile of a beautiful woman. It was so completely out of character, I can recall it perfectly. We simply and silently observed. He was my good prior in the Local Church Experiment in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. In the early 90s, he brought me down from Ottawa for a consultation with a group of radical feminists at the Riane Eisler Center for Partnership Studies in Woodstock, New York. What a memorable encounter.  With tongue in cheek, dare I say the there were no seminal moments? How was it that Bain was organizing this event? Of course, I can recall pleasant conversations with you and meeting Henry when I first came to the West Side in ‘68. Bain was forever, gentle and dignified. Here’s to your 55 years together. Bless you, bless him.

~~  Ken Fisher