Jackson Davis
Jackson Davis (9/25/1882 – 4/15/1947 (Buried in Hollywood Cemetery)) and Charles M. Robinson probably became friends as soon as Robinson arrived in Virginia. From Cumberland County, Virginia he attended public schools in Richmond before graduating from the College of William and Mary in 1902 and receiving a Master’s Degree from Columbia in 1908. It was while Davis was Superintendent of Henrico County Public Schools (1905-1909) that Robinson met Davis, working together on the design in 1908 of Varina High School, one of Robinson’s first 35 commissions in Virginia. In fact, the first reference to Charles M. Robinson in Virginia in newspapers.com (as of July 2020) is a news article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch stating:
“A meeting of the patrons of Glendale School in the Varina District, Henrico County,” will be held at the Willis M. E. Church to discuss the advisability of raising the district school levy and the consolidation of the white schools of the district. Mr. E. H. Russell, a member of the State Board of Examiners, and Mr. Charles M. Robinson will address the patrons.”
Robinson and Davis would also work together on the Glen Allen School in 1910 before Davis was appointed State Agent for African-American Rural Schools for the Virginia State Department of Education (1910-1915). Once appointed to that position -- and then as Field Agent for the General Education Board (GEB) in New York and ultimately Assistant Director (1929-1933), Associate Director (1933-1946) and Vice-President and Director (1946-1947) -- Robinson and Davis would work together often on educational advances in and providing quality educational facilities for African-American schoolchildren.
Throughout his career with GEB Davis specialized in Southern education, interracial problems and education, both in the United States and in Africa. His work with GEB encouraged Davis to work with school systems to influence better relations and understanding between whites and African-Americans and his pioneer work in promoting regional centers of education in the South were of immense significance. Davis and other white reformers believed that the school environment could change only by improving the physical surroundings of the educational facilities provided. He felt that better school facilities would lead directly to other developments in African American communities and urged active participation by them to advocate for the upgrading of facilities, however his support for enhancing educational facilities and creating opportunities for African Americans ceased with the line of segregation.
He also served on the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary from 1913-1920 and may have been instrumental in the decision to bring J.A.C. Chandler to the College as its 18th President to serve from 1919-1934, a decision that opened the way for Charles M. Robinson to be engaged to undertake its aggressive building and facilities assessment program which led to him being named College Architect in 1926. Jackson Davis was one of seven pallbearers at Charles M. Robinson’s Funeral at Hollywood and was the only one that was not an employee of Charles M. Robinson Architects.