73rd Anniversary of John A. Davis' death Saturday, March 17, 2007

At 7:45 on the night of Saturday, March 17, 1934, Dr. John Adelbert Davis went home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. He had been surrounded by his close family and friends. He had been going down hill with some strokes and seizures since January. The pressure from the school almost dying with different trials also added to the burden. The catalyst to start his problems would have been the Great Depression and then the fact "that in the 1920s a PBTS business manager had secretly and unlawfully borrowed money in the name of the school for personal financial speculation, lost it in his gambling ventures, and left to the school his debts" (Dr. Barackman's PBTS History). Then the death of his son Charles Davis and the accusation against Dr. Davis, and the split of school all aided in his early death at the age of 62. He passed away in his cottage down on the banks of the Susquehanna.

Pastor Carl Wheeler remembers being in Study Hour when Dr. Davis passed away and the bell on the top of the school was rung 62 times in honor of Dr. Davis. Ruth Kummerer also remembers it being Study Hour and the bell ringing. The male students had watched over Dr. Davis. "Ruth remembers students standing at the casket of Dr. Davis 24 hours a day keeping watch until the funeral of Dr. Davis. Ruth was working overtime in the kitchen preparing more food the guests attending the funeral. She remembers being in King Hall and on the Knoll almost falling asleep because of the fatigue from working in the kitchen. She wrote that “the funeral and the burial on the knoll were a great testimony to a great man.”"

Dr. Davis was buried on the knoll the following Wednesday. Over 3000 people attended his funeral. The Newspaper article above shows the men carrying Dr. Davis. The front man on the right is Dr. MC Patterson.

Dr. Davis and his wife are now both buried on the Sunset Knoll overlooking the river.