FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2005

CONTACT: Daniel P. Finney, (515) 271-2833 or Daniel.Finney@drake.edu

DRAKE LAW SCHOOL HONORS RETIRED AIR FORCE GENERAL, ALUMNUS

The Drake Law School recently honored Retired Lt. Gen. Russell C. Davis, a 1969 Drake law graduate, as Alumni of the Year for his long-time contributions to leadership and philanthropy.

“Throughout his unfolding career, Gen. Davis has been an outstanding leader who has risen to the top of his field, an engaged citizen of this community and our nation’s armed forces and a long and faithful supporter of Drake Law School and the University as a whole,” said David Walker, dean of Drake Law School, who presented the award at the Supreme Court Banquet earlier this month. “He is truly an impressive person.”

In 1998, Davis became the first African American to be appointed to lead the United States force of nearly 475,000 Army and Air Force National Guard members. He has served as a member of Drake’s Board of Trustees and resigned only to take his top-ranking appointment with the Army and Air National Guard.

In his years following graduation from Drake, Davis worked for American Republic Insurance Co., where he became the first African American to serve as a company officer. He became a force for diversity in both his company and the Des Moines community. He also is active with the Kappa Alpha Psi national African American fraternity.

Davis, a native of Tuskegee, Ala., and a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, lives in Alexandria, Va.

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