BIOGRAPHY:  Felton L. Davis

Some people may not know Felton L. Davis, an uncrowned king in Western New York, but I do. He has been a great contributor to all of Buffalo and a voice for the people of our city.  Mr. Davis is intelligent, caring and dependable.  He has a beautiful wife of 33 years, and 2 daughters who are teachers who he loves very much.

Felton L. Davis was born in Willard, Ohio. He was an adorable little baby boy. He was raised by his mother Bea Davis and his aunt, Mrs. Margaret Davidson. Although he only had a mother figure in the household, he still had male role models. While growing up he had uncles, school principals, Sunday school teachers, scout masters and many more men who were all good examples in his life.  During his childhood years he was introduced to the Boy Scouts who taught him many traits he uses today like citizenship, self confidence and courage.  He also earned his Eagle Scout’s badge.

One of the challenges of his childhood was that he moved several times.  He had to learn how to make friends and adapt to his surrounding in each of the three different states in which he lived during grades K-12.  However, Mr. Davis always loved school.  Reading was one of the things that helped him throughout his life. He went on to college at Southern University, and then transferred into the military. He served 20 years in the military and was a Major when he left active duty. He loved to do this and said he would do it even if it was a non-paying position. In the military he studied to attain his Masters in Business from Louisiana State University. In addition to his degrees, he has received numerous certificates in many things. For example he is a certified teacher, principal and pilot.

Mr. Davis is very involved with the Buffalo community. He has been a substitute teacher at many schools including Amherst High School.  He is also a district commissioner in the Niagara Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Felton Davis is part of many organizations like the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), the National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM),  and the NAACP, just to name a few. Mr. Davis is also the Chapter President of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. His work does not stop there; he also is very involved with his church. Mr. Davis loves volunteering at the airport, helping with customer service, and he sells newspapers for Kids’ Day, and helps raise funds for the March of Dimes.

In spite of all of his work, many people would say that he is a very modest man. Felton Davis believes that since the role models he looked up to helped him along the way, he should assist people who need support. This is why I believe that Felton L. Davis deserves to be an “uncrowned king” of Western New York.

2nd Place -  Grades 7-9
Shawnja Pratt
Grade 9, Amherst High School