Lawerence A. Davis, Sr. (1998) - Hall of Fame - Southwestern Athletic Conference

Hall of Fame

Early Life & Education

Davis was born on July 4, 1914, in McCrory, Arkansas (Woodruff County), to Virgil Davis and Prawnee Davis. He was an only child and spent much of his youth living with his maternal grandmother, Emma Janie Brown.
He attended public school in McCrory through eighth grade, then moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to attend Merrill High School. He graduated as a valedictorian in 1933.
He earned his bachelor’s degree (B.A. in English) magna cum laude from Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College (AM&N) in 1937.
Afterward, he pursued graduate studies:
- A master’s degree in English from University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.
- A doctorate in educational administration at University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) completed in 1960.

Career at AM&N / University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

After his B.A., Davis worked at AM&N in Pine Bluff in roles as teacher, registrar, and cashier.
In 1943, at only 29 years old, Davis was selected as president of AM&N, making him one of the youngest college presidents in the country at the time.
Over his ~30-year presidency, Davis oversaw significant expansions:
- Enrollment growth: For example, by the 1948–49 term, enrollment reached about 2,200.
- Campus physical-plant expansion: many new buildings were added under his leadership.
- Accreditation: AM&N gained accreditation as a four-year institution in 1950 under his leadership.
In 1972, AM&N merged with the University of Arkansas System and became University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB). Davis served as its first chancellor for about a year (1972–1973).

Leadership, Challenges & Impact

Davis held strong leadership during a complex era—he navigated growth, accreditation, expansion, and civil rights-era pressures at a historically Black college.
For example, in 1958 he selected Martin Luther King Jr. to speak at AM&N’s commencement, which generated backlash from some Arkansas legislators.
During the early 1960s when student activism increased (e.g., some students with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)), Davis expelled several students amid demonstrations.
The merger into the UA system and transformation into UAPB was controversial: alumni and community opposed the merger fearing loss of identity; students protested (including a boycott in 1972) and Davis’s leadership was criticized and eventually he resigned.