EKU STORIES
54 YEARS ELAPSE BEFORE OCTOGENARIAN RECEIVES DEGREE Just how big was Roy Davidson’s smile when he crossed the EKU commencement stage to receive his diploma on May 11, 2018? You might say it was 54 years wide. That’s how much time had elapsed since Davidson, now 85, had last set foot on the Richmond campus. In fact, if a personal tragedy hadn’t curtailed his pursuit of a degree just a few credit hours short in 1964, his diploma would have carried the seal of Eastern Kentucky State College (EKSC). Aside from wearing his EKSC class ring all these years, Davidson hadn’t given his three-plus years at Eastern or finishing his degree much thought. After all, he had gone on to a highly successful career as a property manager, mortgage banker, and founder and president of Davidson Funding Group LLC in Florida, which arranges multimillion-dollar commercial loans for businesses all across the U.S. as well as Central America.
nearly five-hour conversation on January 23, 2017, rekindled fond memories and triggered Davidson’s interest in finishing his degree. Long story short: By current standards, Davidson had already earned enough credits to receive a degree. “I was astonished,” he said. “All of a sudden a door opens, and there’s a big, bright light. It’s an accomplishment, something I finished.” That light dimmed in the spring of 2018 when Davidson learned that his cancer, which had been in remission, was back, necessitating a new round of chemotherapy treatments.
I lived my life always trying to do the right thing. This is the crème de la crème.
Then, shortly after his LinkedIn page was discovered, a call came early last year from Sharron Townsend, senior director of development for the EKU College of Business and Technology. A lunch meeting between the two in Sarasota, Florida, was quickly arranged. And what a fortuitous luncheon it was! Their
But he wasn’t about to miss his big day. So you can imagine the disbelieving look on his physician’s face when Davidson retorted, “I’ve got to graduate from college, and then I’ll be back.”
With family members seated in the front row, a beaming Davidson was greeted by President Michael Benson and a standing ovation as he briskly made his way across the stage during the College of Business and Technology commencement where he earned a long-awaited general studies in business degree. “I lived my life always trying to do the right thing,” he said. “This is the crème de la crème.”
EKU MAGAZINE 05
