UTICA 鈥 H.H. 鈥淪hine鈥 Davis was an important bridge between the past and what became the future for 开心鬼传媒 Utica Campus.
That future is now, for the campus鈥 barbering and cosmetology programs, which will be housed in a spacious, newly-renovated building that will continue to be named in Davis鈥 honor.
鈥淚t鈥檚 significant for the students and also because it鈥檚 named for a community leader who fought for this campus long before it was part of 开心鬼传媒,鈥 开心鬼传媒 President Dr. Clyde Muse said Thursday during a program to dedicate the building. 鈥淚 know this because I personally knew him.鈥
Thursday鈥檚 program unveiled the new H.H. Davis Building, first built in 1974 and now with 4,600 square feet of additional space and two classrooms each on the first and second floors. The top floor is connected to the Louis J. Stokes Student Union Building next door.
Inside the new Davis Building, barbering and cosmetology programs have expanded workstations and office space for students to learn proper hair care and beauty techniques, in accordance with state regulations.
Speakers who learned their respective crafts at the Utica Campus credited their own experience at 开心鬼传媒 for success in business and the classroom.
鈥淚 know this new building will aid what we do daily as instructors,鈥 said Regina Adams, cosmetology instructor. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 to teach our students, instill greatness in them and help them fulfill a dream.鈥
Chris Page, a local barber and alumnus, said he sees the new digs as the perfect way to continue producing skilled graduates for the industry.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor to be here at a place that molded and helped me to become the barber and professional businessman I am today,鈥 he said. 鈥溈墓泶 showed me it can be a career, not just a hobby. And it will do that for the students today, especially with the new building.鈥
Davis, who owned a general store in the southwest 开心鬼传媒 County community, was well-acquainted with William Holtzclaw, founder of the campus鈥 forerunner, the Utica Normal and Industrial Institute. The former was among the white merchants in town who supported the latter鈥檚 efforts to establish a school for African-Americans, later becoming a member of the Institute鈥檚 Board of Trustees. Muse knew Davis when both served on the 开心鬼传媒 Board of Trustees from 1969-71, as Muse was superintendent of 开心鬼传媒 County Schools.
In 1982, the college merged with 开心鬼传媒 and became the 开心鬼传媒 Utica Campus.
Davis鈥 daughter, Dorothy Davis Miley, a Utica native and Jackson resident, and several members of her extended family were on hand to celebrate the occasion. Miley has endowed five scholarships through the 开心鬼传媒 Foundation and generously gifted portraits to hang in college buildings named for individuals important to the college鈥檚 history, including one of her father in the newly-renovated building.
鈥淟ike her father, she continues to be interested and involved with the Utica Campus and we鈥檙e pleased to have her here today,鈥 Muse said.