Britt Duane Davis

Britt Duane Davis, a passionate advocate for the arts and accomplished in the world of finance, passed away on March 2, 2025. Born in Lamesa, Texas, on July 16, 1933, to Dan Young and Dimple Crain Davis, he conducted a lifelong symphony of contributions—set to the frenzied tempo of Rachmaninoff. After divorcing the man who vowed, “No son of mine will ever play the piano,” Britt’s mother promptly bought a piano. By age 10, Britt had mastered it sufficiently to accompany Mary Alice Horne in their elementary school performance of “Don’t Fence Me In” in Paris, Texas. As a teenager, he was employed by the Bud Winters Dixieland Five to play area clubs and dances, where he developed the ability to play by ear. At 17, he joined the U.S. Navy to serve in the Korean Conflict, eventually becoming a First-Class Petty Officer—the first in U.S. Naval history to achieve that rank under the age of 21. Upon his honorable discharge, he returned to Paris, Texas, and enrolled in Paris Junior College, where he was elected Mister PJC. On July 30, 1955, Mister PJC married childhood sweetheart Mary Alice, happily fenced in with the pretty girl he had accompanied on piano eleven years earlier. The new couple moved to Austin where he enrolled in the University of Texas, juggling academics with a job at the State Board of Control. At UT, he became an honorary member of the Tejas Club, graduating at 23 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In 1957, he took his degree—and his growing family—to Dallas, where he became a management trainee for the National Bank of Commerce. He then moved to the First National Bank of Dallas, becoming Vice President of its trust division. He attended and graduated with honors from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, where he later lectured on Trust and Probate Administration and wrote numerous articles on trust and estate administration for Texas Bankers Monthly. With a reputation for boundless energy, Britt was asked to head the trust department of the newly affiliated Houston Citizen’s Bank & Trust Company, the oldest trust company in Texas. Houston would become his permanent home—and a launch pad for his career and his passions. The Houston Chronicle once characterized him as “a brilliant young banker with the skin of a rhinoceros.” During his tenure at what would later become Houston’s Bank of America, trust footings rose from $200 million to $13 billion. Britt would go on to lead the Trust Department, where he was able to build some of his most valued relationships, particularly with those on his own team. His talents earned him a place in centers of influence, where he was able to direct his energy to philanthropic endeavors. He was privileged to serve as the cultural committee chairman of the greater Houston Chamber of Commerce, predecessor of the Houston Partnership, where he was instrumental in spinning off the arts support function of the chamber to the Cultural Arts Council of Houston. Now known as the Houston Arts Alliance, it has infused well over $100 million to the arts. With financial support from the Knox Foundation, he and his team worked tirelessly to secure Henry Moore’s Large Spindle Piece for Tranquility Park. For seven years, he ran a sustained public fundraising initiative to build the Houston Police Officers Memorial, designed by Jesús Bautista Moroles. He served as chairman of the first two Houston Festivals and was honored by the City of Houston with two separate Britt Davis Days. In the 1980s, his lecture series on cultural financing for the American Councils for the Arts earned him the unanimous recommendation to President Ronald Reagan for appointment to the governing board of the National Endowment for the Arts—along with a listing in Who’s Who in America. “Right there under Bette Davis,” he often joked. As a resident of Houston, and later Katy, he was immersed in the evolution of city and county government, including the races for the 18th Congressional District. He proudly brought diversity to the staff of the trust department—and to the Boards of the Houston Area Salvation Army and Sheltering Arms—to make a lasting impact on the community. Britt retired from his position as Executive Vice President and Regional Trust Executive in 1992. But there was no slowing down for the man who did 50 pullups and three miles of lunges daily while also serving as an expert witness in fiduciary litigation. Into his nineties, Britt remained active with Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, volunteering for singalongs at retirement homes and memory care facilities. For many years, he contracted with Houston area nonprofit ARTreach to deliver his singalongs to community centers, assisted living, and memory care facilities. His Memory Makers Singalongs™ songbooks were used as references in national neuroscience studies on the effects of group singing on the aging brain. From parties and dances to Navy NCO clubs in Japan, playing piano was his joyous throughline. Establishing a beloved Christmas tradition, he would organize family singalongs, which included “A Child’s Carol,” a song he composed and copyrighted for his first granddaughter. Three generations of children will cherish their memories of sitting beneath the Baldwin grand piano while he played everything from Mozart to Elmo’s Song. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, he always made a point of telling those he loved how important they were to him. His ability to connect with everyone in the moment was a unique gift that created so much happiness. His love for music, art, and community defined his life, and his impact will continue to resonate through the melodies he set and the art he championed. While he will be profoundly missed and fondly remembered by those whose lives he touched, his song lives on. Britt Davis is preceded in death by his son, Collin Horne Davis. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Mary Alice Horne Davis; son Britt Key Davis and his former spouse, Dr. Sue Ellen Richardson; daughter Anne Caroline (Davis) Campbell and spouse Robert Campbell; grandchildren Gabriella Garza Davis, Britt Richardson Davis, Sue Anne Richardson Davis, Sarah Caroline Campbell and Collin Edwin Campbell; great-grandchild Colton Davis Askew; and beloved cousin Cathy McDowra. A memorial service to celebrate Britt's life will be held Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, 12955 Memorial Dr. Houston, TX 77079; reception to immediately follow in Friendship Court. In lieu of flowers, please consider a charitable donation to The Trevor Project or the Memorial Drive United Methodist Church’s Caring Forever Foundation. The epigraph on his tombstone at Glenwood Cemetery reads “He set our lives to music.”

Britt Duane Davis

July 16, 1933 - March 2, 2025