Dr. Alvie Davis, both an alumnus and professor at ACU, died last Thursday after battling cancer for more than 10 years.

Davis attended ACU in 1955 to study agriculture, but not long into his studies, he fell in love with both chemistry and the community at ACU. Davis went on to teach chemistry at ACU for 50 years, impacting the lives of students far beyond the classroom, say former colleagues.

Dr. Eric Hardegree, a professor of chemistry at ACU and one of Davis’ close friends, remembers him as a gentle and loving professor with a great sense of humor who was considerate of his students.

“Alvie was extremely knowledgeable in his subject and very loving of his students,” Hardegree said. “He helped the students excel, and go on to medical school and graduate school. You knew if you had Avlie Davis for chemistry, you were going to know your stuff.”

Hardegree, who was also a student under Davis in 1978, reflected on the memory Davis had in not only retaining knowledge in his field of study, but remembering each student he taught thorough the years. A notable story Hardegree told was during the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, he was able to instantly remember the name and year he taught a former student that happened to be rescued from the rubble of the building that day.

“His ability to retain these incredible details about students he taught was incredible,” Hardegree said. “He could tell you where we went for lunch on a field trip 30 years ago and how many students we had with us. That was Alvie.”

Davis contracted prostate cancer in the early 90s, and although it was properly treated, the cancer recurred in the early 2000s and spread to his bones. Davis lost his battle with cancer early in the morning March 20 at the age of 83.

Visitation for Davis will be Friday at Elmwood Funeral Jome from 6-8 p.m. The funeral will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at University Church of Christ.