Ramus Theo Davis

Davis, Ramus Theo (Ladd) One of the co-founders and long time President of the T.A. Davis Tennis Racquet Company died in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday, May 26th, at age 86. Ladd and his father, Theophilus Anthony Davis, founded the world famous company in 1931. T.A. Davis racquets were unique because of their artistic design and patented cross-grain construction. They are still considered the classic wooden racquet.
During the Great Depression, the elder Davis worked as a nurse and the doctors he worked with were constantly complaining about how their tennis racquets frequently broke and were difficult to grip. An early aviator, inventor and self-avowed "tinkerer" all his life, he began repairing the racquets of the wealthy and later decided that he should make prototypes of a better-designed racquet. He and his son, Ladd, set about to do this. When they found that the racquets were well received, they decided to make them for doctors, movie moguls, Country Clubs and others with disposable income during the Depression. Along the way, they revolutionized the industry with three patented ideas. As a result of their experience flying wooden bi-planes, they learned that the strength and flexibility of their best performers was due to the cross grain construction and high moisture content in the wooden fuselage. They then incorporated these features into their tennis racquets. These uniquely artistic racquets were resilient because they were made of various woods, and utilized the Davis' patented cross grain construction technique that prevented strings from cutting into the wood. Other patented techniques included shaping grips in the form of human hands. This coupled with adding heavier exterior woods and lighter interior woods made for better balanced racquets. Ladd and several associates designed numerous drilling, sanding, shaping and gluing machines used to manufacture their racquets, and introduced Classiden, one of the first non-wood substances added to tennis frames. Under Ladd's stewardship millions of T.A. Davis racquets were manufactured in North Hollywood, California and distributed worldwide by Victor Sports of Chicago, Illinois. Players ranged from amateur to professional, doctor to laborer, politician to entertainer including the actor Charlton Heston and the late Vice President Spiro Agnew. Lore has it that several prominent Chinese Communists played with a Davis racquet. This amused Ladd, a lifelong Republican. Davis racquets also became part of the popular culture and were found in advertisements for companies such as Ralph Lauren and Sony when classics were the subject. Ladd's life was filled with adventure. He was a private pilot and began flying in wooden bi-planes with his father at the controls on his sixth birthday. He used to say that he wasn't tall enough to see above the cockpit of his father's plane except when one wing was tipped downward. Ladd owned three modern planes over the years and flew them for many years until his health and the crowded skies made it out of the question. In his later years Ladd could often be found in the park at the Sepulveda Dam observing the miniature planes at his favorite model airport. He also was a life long amateur photographer who won many first place ribbons in area contests. In World War II, Ladd served in an Infantry battalion in Germany driving a tank into battle. He also served as a military policeman in occupied Germany. Ladd was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Harriette, his sister, Violet Mugler and his niece, Patti Mugler Rose. Ladd is survived by his sons, Todd A. Davis of Austin, Texas, Gregg S. Davis of Van Nuys; his daughters-in-law, Suzanne and Zita; his grandchildren, Jacqueline, Todd, Alexander, Ryan and Connor; his nieces, Dale Gage, Charla Eisele and Kathy Holmes; his nephews, Jack Segerdahl, Kurt and Rick Schlemmer; his sister-in-law, Margie Schlemmer, and 16 grandnieces and grandnephews. A graveside memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 5, at 11:30 a.m., at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Cemetery, 10621 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that m1010