Joan Victorsohn Davis

After graduating from A.B. Davis and three years at Skidmore (A.B. English Literature; minor Art), in 1960 I became a Davis with my marriage to Morton Davis. I continued studying and working at NYU (M.A. Literature) while my husband practiced architecture on lower Fifth Avenue. NYC has been home ever since, welcoming our three children into the world, educating them prior to college, and now providing the same for their children. Our family numbers fifteen, with grandchildren ages fourteen to eight months, all living within walking distance of one another. Our children are Gabrielle V. Davis Ginsberg, Esq., Deborah V. Davis Ascheim, M.D., and Joshua Victorsohn Davis, Architect. They, their accomplishments and their children have been the true highlights of my/our life. My interests in the written word and graphic design overlapped when I became a calligrapher. I have worked on poetry commissions, original citations, invitations, and have taught classes in this art form. A founding partner of Programme Associates over twenty years ago and its President for almost ten, most of my professional time now is devoted to planning corporate and professional events, with occasional calligraphy projects to keep my hand in. I have served my share of School Board Chairmanships and derived gratification from my involvement with Park Avenue Synagogue where I am an Honorary Trustee and Vice-President. Music has been a rich part of my life. The fun of making music with the A.B. Davis Band and, as a parent and grandparent, the pleasure of transmitting my enjoyment through home and NYC’s offerings have amplified its importance for us. Beyond a life-long attachment to note-taking on index cards and much nostalgia, my most cherished A.B. Davis memory is of Mrs. Bailey’s shoebox crammed with letters sent to her during WW II by her former English students - her “boys.” I can still remember the feeling of those tissue-thin air letters in my hands and the intimacy of reading thoughts from combat zones in Europe and Iwo Jima. In post 9/11 NYC, I appreciate how blessed I have been in these 50 years. Life has been rewardingly busy, aesthetically pleasing, and deeply satisfying.