Julia Pace Davis

Julia P. Davis, a member of the Louisiana Music Educators Association Hall of Fame, passed away in Shreveport, Louisiana of natural causes on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. She was 86. Funeral service will be held at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches, Louisiana at 4 P.M. on Saturday, April 23, 2011, with burial to follow at the American Cemetery in Natchitoches. Family visitation will be held from 5 to 7 P.M. on Friday, April 22, at the funeral home. She was preceded in death by her adoptive parents, Mattie Mae Haines Pace and John Fletcher Pace. She is survived by one son, Clarence Clinton Davis, Jr., who is a board certified tax attorney and CPA living in Dallas, Texas. He is a graduate of Northwestern State University and Southern Methodist University. She was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on August 31, 1924. She completed elementary school in Mansfield. After graduating from St. Mary’s Academy in Natchitoches, Julia earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State Normal College—the last class to graduate before the name change to Northwestern State University. An academic scholarship allowed her to attend LSU where she earned a Master of Music Education degree in 1945. She later earned 30 additional graduate hours and was among the first music teachers in Louisiana to earn certification in the Gifted and Talented Program. Her remarkable career included 62 years of continuous teaching with the exception of one year of sabbatical leave. Her first teaching assignment was as Strings Teacher and Assistant Band Director at Thibodaux High School. That assignment was followed by a year as a teacher in rural schools in Natchitoches Parish and one year at Bossier High School as Assistant Band Director. She returned to Natchitoches to teach strings and elementary music at Campti and Fairview-Alpha. For 29 years she was the elementary music teacher and Director of full orchestra in Campti. Her next assignment was in the Natchitoches Parish Schools as a strings teacher in the Talent portion of the Gifted and Talented Program. In addition to teaching in the schools of Louisiana, she taught privately. She officially retired in 1987, but agreed to continue as an elementary music teacher in various schools in Natchitoches Parish for the next four years. In response to the critical need for a teacher in Alexandria strings program, Julia agreed to become an Itinerate Strings Teacher in Rapides Parish. She continued in that position for 15 years with Bolton High School as her home base school. Her orchestras received awards at Louisiana Music Educators Association District and State Large Ensemble Festivals. Numerous students have participated in Honor Orchestras and All-State Orchestras as well as Solo and Ensemble Festivals. Perhaps her teaching contributions are best summarized by her having been named Natchitoches Parish Secondary Teacher in 1978-79. This award recognized her achievement of excellence in the field of education. For several years Julia played violin in the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and played violin and string bass in the Natchitoches/Northwestern Symphony Orchestra. She also served as dance accompanist at Northwestern State University, and at one time was a Sunday school teacher and church organist at Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchitoches. In November, 2009, she was inducted into the Louisiana Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. In each community where Julia has taught her students have participated in local activities and made numerous presentations to civic organizations and gatherings. Many of her students have earned careers in music education and/or music performance, and all of her students have been enriched through the love of music instilled in them by Julia’s teachings.