Joseph “Jay” Davis ’54

Joseph “Jay” Davis ’54 passed away in Sarasota, Florida, on August 31, 2021. Jay was born in New York City; grew up in Mount Vernon, New York; and graduated from Choate in 1950. He graduated Dartmouth with an A.B. in 1954. He was drafted into the Army in the summer of 1954 and was sent to Fort Holabird in Baltimore for training in the Counterintelligence Corps. He was stationed in Tokyo, Japan, served until 1957, and was honorably discharged in 1962. Jay attended New York University’s Graduate School of Business and graduated with an M.B.A. in 1962. Jay spent the first 10 years of his advertising career at Young & Rubicam in New York. He became interested in medical advertising and in 1985 he joined Medicus, a division of D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, as managing director of consumer advertising for pharmaceutical accounts. He was a strong advocate of prescription drug advertising to consumers and is considered a pioneer in this field. Jay met Martha Glenn of Detroit, Michigan, in 1964, and they were married in 1965. Jay was a devoted alumnus of Dartmouth, serving as president of the class of 1954 and receiving the class award for leadership in 2004. In retirement he lived in the Hanover area for many years and taught skiing at the Dartmouth Skiway. He is survived by Martha, sons Joshua and Christopher, and three grandchildren.