Davis was born in
Manchester, Georgia. During
World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific. He and his wife had a son, Gregory, and a daughter, Jennifer. Davis received his bachelor's degree from the
University of Florida and taught at its
University of Florida School of Journalism (established 1953) from 1954 to 1985. From 1962 to 1983 he was a columnist and editorial writer for
The Gainesville Sun; from 1983 to 1989, a columnist for the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. He died of heart failure in August 2004 at the age of 80. ==Awards and honors==