Bruce Davidson

1924 - 2024

Dr. Bruce Merrill Davidson, Major General, United States Air Force Reserve, passed away on August 13, 2024. He was 100 years old. Bruce was born in Ironwood, Michigan on March 16, 1924, to Harold Osborne Davidson and Alma Marie Knoepp Davidson. He received his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering at the University of Michigan in 1949 with minors in law and business administration. He attended the University of Wisconsin, where he received his master's degree in civil engineering in 1951 and his Ph.D. in 1956. Bruce was a Professor of Civil Engineering and Associate Dean of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin and later Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department at Washington State University. In 1971, he was appointed Academic Dean of the U.S. Naval Academy, from which he retired in 1984. Bruce entered the military in February 1943 in enlisted status and later transferred to the Communications Cadet Program at Yale University, from which he was commissioned in December 1943. He was assigned as squadron communications officer of the 28th Bombardment Squadron and deployed to Guam in 1945, where he served as the squadron adjutant and communications officer. Later, he was assigned to Headquarters, Far Eastern Air Forces in Manila, Philippines, followed by a position as administrative assistant, General Headquarters, in Tokyo. Recalled to active duty in 1951 during the Korean War, Bruce was assigned to the Pacific Division, Military Air Transport Services at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawai'i. Bruce served in multiple reserve assignments involving procurement and logistics. He was also selected to represent the Air Force on the Secretary of Defense's Reserve Forces Policy Board in 1980, the Senior Reserve Policy Board in the Department of Defense. His military decorations and awards include the Presidential Unit Citation, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Legion of Merit, Korean Service Medal, and Distinguished Service Medal. Bruce's civic associations include membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Railway Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education, the Reserve Officers Association and the Air Force Association. He served as an alderman for the City of Madison for eight years and was active in Wisconsin politics. Said Bruce of his experiences, "People sometimes ask me what they should call me, 'doctor,' 'general,' or something else. I say just call me 'lucky,' because that's what I have been." Dr. Davidson is survived by his wife of 75 years, the former Mary Catherine Wank of Bellefontaine, Ohio, their three children (Mark Davidson (Dawn), Diane Davidson (Peter) and Mary Ann Davidson) and two grandchildren (Piers Horvath and Sabrina Horvath). A funeral service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date. A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday September 4, 2024 at 4 P.M. at Lasting Tributes Funeral Home, 814 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401.