The Centennial Program of 1991 has a page in honor and in memory of Frank Hartley Davis.
The Centennial Anniversary Dinner held on May 17 was made possible through the generosity of the Frank H. Davis Fund. Mr. Davis established a guaranteed principal fund the income of which is to be used each year to treat those who have served their Lord through Second United Presbyterian Church. Traditionally these have been our Elders, Deacons, Bible School Staff, Choir and others who have served. With the coming of our 100th Anniversary, and with the permission of Jean and Nancy Davis, this annual event was not held last year and this year so to provide sufficient income funds to treat all our members to dinner on our 100th anniversary. We thank the members of the Davis family for their gracious permission, and we thank Mr. Frank H. Davis posthumously.
FRANK HARTLEY DAVIS
September 26, 1879–August 6, 1978Frank Hartley Davis was born in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Altoona, Pennsylvania when he was about six years old. There his father worked as a carpenter in the Pennsylvania Railroad shops. Frank had one brother who was six years younger. He married Blanche Ebert and had a family of four children, Virginia, Nancy, Jean, and Frank, Jr.
As a boy, he worked in a grocery store for $4.00 per month which was taken off the family grocery bill. He attended the public schools and graduated from Altoona High School as Valedictorian. He was active in his church—The Reformed Church.
He became a stenographer for a medical doctor employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Later he and a friend opened a grocery store. From an aunt in Philadelphia he learned about a new product, LaFrance Laundry Soap. The custom at the time was to boil clothes to get them clean. He sold this new product in his store and from door to door when he was not busy in the store. He was such a promoter of this new product and sold more than anyone else until the LaFrance Company became interested in him and offered him the job of introducing the product in Pittsburgh. In accepting this offer he sold his half of his store and came to Pittsburgh in 1909, the same year of his marriage to Blanche Ebert of Loysville, Perry County, Pennsylvania.
The Davis family first lived in East Liberty later moving to Wilkinsburg where they shared a house on Trenton Avenue with a cousin of Mrs. Davis’. He eventually bought the house and later built a house on South Braddock Avenue. He introduced LaFrance to grocery stores all over the area, traveling at first by street car, before he owned a car. He established an office in the Caldwell and Graham Building in Wilkinsburg. Pittsburgh was a dirty city then, and this new product was a success. He eventually was the distributor of Lafrance in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. His business grew until he had several salesmen working for him. After 20 years the company was sold to General Foods Corporation.
Mr. Davis became an officer of several small companies, officer of a building and loan company, Director of Wilkinsburg Pittsburgh National Bank, but always devoted a great deal of time to his church and church related institutions.
In coming to Wilkinsburg he expected to join the Reformed Church since the minister was a brother of his high school principal. However, the family visited several churches, and it was because of Frank and Lydia Boal Farren (Lydia Steel’s aunt and charter member of Second United Presbyterian Church) that they joined our church. Dr. Edgar said Mr. Davis was the best lay member he had ever known. Mr. Davis worked closely with all the ministers: Dr. McConnell, Dr. Gerstner and Dr. Young. Mr. Davis was Assistant Superintendent of the Sabbath School and Superintendent for 25 years, an Elder for 60 years and Clerk of Session always involved in all activities within the church.
He served on the Board of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary for 40 years, the United Presbyterian Board of American Missions, the Board of Knoxville College in Tennessee who awarded him an honorary degree and was President of the National Reform Association.
He was an avid golfer and first played on Pup’s Foot Golf Course in Edgewood which moved to Churchill and became Edgewood Country Club. He played until he was 90 and drove a car until he was 96, driving to church the last day he drove. He had excellent health and his first trip to the hospital was at age 96. He lived to be almost 99 and died August 6. 1978.
______
Wilkinsburg Public Library Digital Archives:
Second United Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg 1891–1991 100th Anniversary, Program.