LEADER OF THE LONGHORN NATION... CountyLine Magazine Article
LEADER OF THE LONGHORN NATION
by Karen Duffy
Dr. Gary Davison, Principal of Lambert High School (LHS), is a familiar face in the community. Much has been written about Gary’s vision and goals for LHS, but who is the man who leads the Longhorns?
Born in Atlanta, Gary Davison lived in Dekalb County through the second grade. His family then moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he would remain through high school and college. Gary admits that he did not like school, and his goal was just to graduate. After graduation, Gary worked in construction, and also volunteered in his two younger brothers’ classrooms at school. “There’s quite a big age difference between my brothers and me, and I really enjoyed the time I spent in the classroom. It felt right to be there.”
Gary knew that he was not ready for the workload of college—he had to grow up first. He attended St. Louis Community College for two and a half years before enrolling at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. He learned how to work hard and credits the community college experience for getting him ready to be successful in a university setting. He was the first in his family to graduate high school and college, earning his Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis in 1990.
Gary’s first job was as a Teaching Assistant for Alma Dulz at Meramec Elementary in St. Louis. Says Gary, “I will never forget what Alma said to me on day one, ‘When you come into a new school, you learn from everybody. Take those nuggets and ideas and hang on to them.’ I’ve carried those words with me my entire career, keeping notes in a file that I often refer to.”
Gary worked seven years in St. Louis while earning two more degrees—Master of Arts in Educational Processes and Master of Arts in Educational Leadership. He enjoyed St. Louis but longed to get back to Atlanta. Good fortune came to him by way of an opening at Dunwoody High School.
Gary Davison was Assistant Principal at Dunwoody High School in 2000-2001. His star was on the rise, and over the next several years he would be in leadership roles at Lakeside High School, Settles Bridge Elementary and South Forsyth High School. However, the year at Dunwoody HS transformed Gary’s life personally as well. He became friends with teacher and Dunwoody HS softball coach, Jinger Williams. Their friendship grew and, when Gary was Assistant Principal/Discipline at Lakeside HS, he and Jinger began dating. “Our first date was at church. I’d never really gone to church before, so that tells you how strong my feelings were for Jinger,” he recalls.
The relationship between Gary and Jinger grew stronger and they eventually married. While Gary was at Settles Bridge Elementary, Jinger also made the career move to Forsyth County Schools. It was a busy time in Davison's life. Gary began working on his doctorate degree, and in 2005 their first child, Gracie was born. Gracie was a very sick newborn. She stopped breathing, and Gary and Jinger were told to expect the worst. “It was a very scary time and I remember how awesome the staff, students, and families at Settles Bridge were. Paula Gault was Superintendent of Forsyth County Schools at that time, and she came to step in for me so I could be with Jinger and Gracie at the hospital. I will never forget that.” Gracie made it through, and is now a bright 5 ½ year old who enjoys Kindergarten at Sharon Elementary.
After five years in elementary school leadership, Gary became Principal of South Forsyth High School (SFHS) in the fall of 2006. It was an action packed school year as Gary finished his doctorate, receiving a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Georgia. The Davison family also grew that year when their son, Will was born on March 1, 2007. This time there were no complications, and Will was a healthy baby boy. Life was good.
For the next five months, Gary, Jinger, Gracie, and Will enjoyed being together as a family. They were often outside playing, or on their deck enjoying each other’s company. On July 25, 2007, Will went down for his afternoon nap and passed away in his sleep. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had taken the five month old from his family.
The loss of their son was devastating to Gary and Jinger. Once again the community jumped in to help them survive one day at a time. The Davisons turned their tragedy and grief into a gift for others by establishing the Will Davison Memorial Scholarship Fund. Community events, such as the Walk for Will and Ride for Will, have raised enough money for the Davisons to award sixteen $1000 scholarships to date. Scholarships are presented to seniors from each Forsyth County high school in May. Dr. Davison, “Jinger and I are very proud of the scholarship fund in Will’s memory. It has helped us keep going. There are constant reminders of Will, and without the support from this community, we’d be a mess. This scholarship is our way to give back, and honor Will at the same time.”
One more career move brought Dr. Davison from SFHS to Lambert High School (LHS) in 2008. Without hesitation he says, “This is the last school I ever want to work at. Everything in my career has led me here, and this is where I want to be. I want to build a legacy here.” Many of the students at LHS were at Settles Bridge Elementary when Gary was there. He has literally watched these children grow and has a vested interest in their future. There is a unique sense of community at LHS because of Dr. Davison’s relationships with the students, families and staff, and although it is one of the largest schools in the district, LHS has the feel of a small school. Dr. Davison’s vision of bringing community and pride to the students has been successful.
In his spare time, Gary enjoys martial arts. He earned a black belt in American Kenpo and is currently studying Krav Maga (Israeli self defense). “I also love to play guitar. Besides keeping up with Jinger, Gracie and Lambert, martial arts and guitar is all I have time for,” adds Dr. Davison. He will finish work on his National Board Certification at the end of this school year.
“I want the community to know how thankful Jinger and I are for their support. Faith and community is what kept us from becoming a statistic and what kept us together through tragedy and loss. People just rallied around us and loved us through it. We have a larger family than our Davison family and look forward to building a legacy with this community.”
