A group of Ladue School District teachers gathered on Wednesday, Jan. 14 to honor veteran science coach Reva Davis for her tireless commitment to education. Davis, a 2019 Jewish Light Unsung Hero, has coached Science Olympiad team STEM competition events for 36 years. The surprise celebration was a belated birthday party. Davis recently turned 92.
“Reva is the best science coach in the country,” said Martin Long, founder of the Ladue science team. “She is the longest standing professor here. She joked one time that she was thinking about quitting, but she couldn’t walk away. She just brings an energy and a joy to this that is unrivaled.”
Davis said it remains a labor of love, “because of all these brilliant children. I got to travel the United States because we went to nationals so many times. I’m blessed.”
A longtime volunteer for National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis, Davis is a bundle of energy. She often encounters former students who remember the impact she made on them.
“I’ve run into students that I had all the time,” she said. “I had one say, ‘You taught me in 1963.’ I still do a lot of volunteer work and it’s just been fabulous.”
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When asked the secret to living a long, productive life, Davis replied, “Just be a good person, be friendly to everybody.”
