By Lisa Tang
After traveling the world in his youth and working in design firms in New York City in the 1980s , J . Kirk Davis ’ ideas are boundless .
Gazing out the large glass window on Main Street , the former creative marketing executive describes a vision for drawing shoppers and visitors to the historic district that was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places .
“ See those two stores right there ,” he said . “ I have a vision for the Walmarts , the Lowes , the takeout food chains . Create a kiosk , touchscreen shopping experience for WalMart in downtown .”
The idea is to revive downtown historic districts and bring back shoppers . It resembles the Adopt-A-Highway program started on Texas Highway 69 north of Tyler in 1985 . Davis wants the big box stores to adopt buildings downtown .
“ Take this building , redo it if possible in its original state and create a kiosk ,” he said . “ Big business , it ’ s payback time , because it sucked all the energy out of the urban cores like Palestine , and I think it would be an incredible deal . It ’ s all sizzle ; it ’ s all clean .”
Whether or not the idea takes off doesn ’ t matter because Davis has plenty more . In fact his head is full of solutions he wakes up with every morning . Fortunately he ’ s sharing them with local organizations such as the Anderson County Historical Association and Palestine ’ s Dogwood Arts Council .
Davis brings both artistic talent and marketing expertise to the DAC . One contribution involved styling a simple yet meaningful logo that features a dogwood tree as the centerpiece and the organization ’ s name and its slogan , “ Art for Palestine Texas .” Other contributions include jurying artists ’ submissions to the Dogwood Arts Festival and contributing ideas that have helped the organization move forward .
Most small-town committees could use a few big ideas , and Davis is filling the gap . DAC Director Celia Campbell Polster appreciates Davis ’ s vision for revitalizing the downtown area .
“ He brings so much to the Dogwood Arts Council ,” Polster said . “ As a council member he brings insight and wisdom and encouragement .”
With an education in fine art and a passion for history , art and architecture , Davis brings highly creative ideas to marketing . He completed a bachelor of fine arts degree at Notre Dame University and a master of science in packaging design at the Pratt Institute . Throughout his 30- year career , he impressed corporate leaders in New York , Los Angeles , and Kansas City with his artistic skill and marketing acumen and later became a Hallmark spokesman articulating its brand experience .
The experienced designer has led the creation of many brand and corporate logos . The most widely-known is the Playtex logo , which has been in use for 35 years and contributed untold millions to the company ’ s success . New York City ’ s lure as a design magnet was impossible for Davis to resist .
“ I love big cities because I traveled the world as a child ,” Davis said . “ As I grew older I realized that due to my parents I had received many a privilege more precious than gold that involved exposure after exposure to exciting and beautiful events , places , people and things .”
Davis is known locally for a series of ink drawings of Palestine landmarks he completed on his first trip here 48 years ago . The exquisite drawings of the Carnegie Library , Reagan Park , the Anderson County Courthouse , and Sacred Heart Catholic Church are available for purchase at the Gallery at the Redlands .
He married lyric soprano Ruth Ledbetter Davis of Palestine 48 years ago and the couple are looking forward to their golden wedding anniversary in June 2023 .
Before that Davis grew up in the shadow of his parents whose lives were endlessly celebrated due to their World War II roles . His father , Colonel Charles Davis , was a Medal of Honor recipient for heroic actions at Galloping Horse Hill in the Battle of Guadalcanal . Davis learned much more about his parents ’ lives after growing up and exploring a trove of letters and photographs collected by his mother Joan .
Davis wrote a memoir of his parents from the carefully preserved memorabilia . His book The Hero & the Beauty is an homage to his parents ’ heroic lives during World War II . It also recounts their lives in the following decades as they graciously represented the military and other Medal of Honor recipients .
The highest honor a soldier can receive in battle , the medal and its recipients are the inspiration for a new Medal of Honor museum being built in Arlington , Texas , set to open in 2024 . The museum accepted Davis ’ offer to donate his parents ’ memorabilia and share his father ’ s legacy due to the book ’ s success and his father ’ s prominence as a military hero .
Davis shares copious admiration for the museum ’ s mission . Just as MOH recipients are often seen as the spark plug that instigates heroic battle operations , the museum also intends to inspire visitors to find
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