Raymond Earl "Buzz" Davis Jr.

Raymond "Buzz" Earl Davis Jr. Passed away on Sept. 24th. His five children, Steven, Linda, Ray III, Walter, and Nancy surrounded him as he left this world to be reunited with his wife, Marilyn C. Davis. Buzz was born in Berkeley, California in 1923. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp (Air Force). He was assigned to the 386th Bombardment Group of the Ninth Air Force in England as a Bombardier-Navigator in B-26 Marauders and, later in the war was the group lead Bombardier in A-26 Invaders. He flew on 62 missions over Germany and German-held territory, often returning in planes badly damaged. He was awarded the Eleventh Oak-leaf Cluster to the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He obtained the rank of Captain before being discharged at the end of WW II. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from University of California, Berkeley in 1949. He was an active member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity where he served as President. He married his true love, Marilyn Close, in 1947. Buzz's professional civil engineering career involved construction management of large projects involving complex and technically challenging concrete pours including the construction of the penstock tunnels for a hydroelectric plant in Camanou, British Columbia, and the structural support for Mackinac Bridge joining the Upper and Lower portions of Michigan. He joined California Portland Cement Company in 1959. Buzz was active in the Structural Engineers Association, the Portland Cement Association (served as Chair of the Technical Committee), and the American Society of Testing Materials. Buzz volunteered for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association for over 25 years... his highlight being the Queen and Court Committee. He also volunteered for the Red Cross dealing with local natural disasters. In addition to his children, Buzz is survived by 7 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren and deeply loved by his extended family and friends. The family will be holding a private "Celebration of Life" in December, 2009. The family has asked for no flowers and requests that any donations in his name be given to either the Huntington Hospital Foundation or the Marilyn C. Davis Re-entry Scholarship Fund at University of California, Santa Cruz, for women returning to school in science or engineering. Buzz has generously given to both of these worthy charitable causes.