Walter J. Davis Jr.

Born on 1 August 1936, Davis was raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He attended the Ohio State University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1959. Commissioned through the NROTC program in June 1959, Davis reported for flight training and, despite stigmatism in his vision, was designated a naval aviator in December 1960. He later attended the Naval Postgraduate School, earning a B.S. degree in aeronautical engineering in 1966 and a M.S. degree in aeronautical electronics in 1967. ==Military career==

Davis served several combat tours in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He accumulated over 3,500 flight hours and over 800 carrier landings as a fighter pilot to 1977. He was XO on the USS Kitty Hawk until he was promoted to captain in March 1981 Promoted to captain, Davis was given command of the combat support ship from 21 December 1981 to 2 September 1983. He subsequently served as the commanding officer of the carrier from 26 June 1985 to 8 May 1987. Davis served as commanding officer of Carrier Group Six in 1991 and 1992. His flagship the carrier was deployed to the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas immediately after the Gulf War to provide air support for Operation Provide Comfort in Iraq. Promoted to rear admiral, Davis served as Director of Warfare Systems Architecture and Engineering for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). his final active duty assignment until his retirement at the beginning of 1997 was as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (N6) for Space, Information Warfare, Command and Control. ==Later life==

Davis is a co-founder of EvoNexus, a San Diego, California-area business incubator which has helped over 200 start-up companies during their growth from idea to realization. At the beginning of 2020, eighty-five percent of these remained in business. ==Personal==

Davis is the son of Walter Jackson Davis Sr. (28 August 1910 – 20 September 1994) and Inez May Stout. The couple were married on 15 August 1935 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In December 1960, Davis Jr. married Constance Patricia "Connie" Surles in Escambia County, Florida. They have two children and four grandchildren and live in Poway, California. ==References==