Celebration of Neil Davis' life is Jan. 14
January 11, 2017
A celebration of Thomas Neil Davis' life will be held Saturday, Jan. 14, at 3 p.m. at the University Community Presbyterian Church at 3510 College Road. For information call 378-2988.
Davis died at his home in Fairbanks in December at the age of 84. He was a giant figure in UAF's development and had energetic careers in research and writing. Davis earned his bachelor's degree in geophysics from UA in 1955 and a doctorate in 1961. His thesis was on the global auroral morphology.
In 1965, Davis became assistant director of the Geophysical Institute and he led construction of Poker Flat Research Range. The first rocket lifted off at Poker Flat in 1969. More than 300 major launches have followed in the decades since. The auroral observatory at Poker Flat was named the T. Neil Davis Science Operations Center in 1993. The UAF Alumni Association gave him its Distinguished Alumnus Award the next year.
Read more about Davis' contributions to UAF and sentiments from his colleagues here.