Davies, Joseph Ilott, -1966

Joseph Ilott Davies came to the Rice Institute (later Rice University) with Julian Huxley in 1914 to serve as Huxley's lab assistant. In 1920, while working full time, he enrolled as a student at Rice, receiving his B.A. degree in 1928, his Master's degree in 1929 (when he also became a member of the Rice faculty), and his Ph.D. in 1937. He meanwhile returned to England, where he married Amy Agnes Hammerton; they came back to settle in Houston and later had two children. In the early 1940s Davies took over both the classroom and lab responsibilities for the introductory course of Biology 100, where he became renowned for his captivating teaching style; he was also noted for his knowledge of local flora and fauna and his lively speaking and writing style. He also photographed many of the university's first buildings while they were under construction, as well as various other campus scenes and individuals over the years. He died suddenly in May 1966, shortly before he was to have retired. Excerpted from: Sara Meredith, "Unforgettable Joseph Davies," Rice University Review, vol. 1, no. 2; and "Dr. Joseph I. Davies," The Flyleaf, vol. XVI, no. 4, July 1966.