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Davis quietly keeps Kansas City beautiful
By STEVE PENNThe Kansas City Star
Most people care more about what they receive from their city than what they give back.
And that’s understandable. It’s always wise to live in a city that isn’t too deep into your wallet.
But once in a while, you run across someone like Bea Davis, who will go down in history as one of the great benefactors to Kansas City’s boulevard system.
Davis, of course, is the widow of the late Ilus W. Davis, the mayor of Kansas City from 1963 to 1971. I learned of her benevolence more than a decade ago.
For as long as employees around the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department can remember, Davis has funded the landscaping and continued beautification of the Paseo Boulevard median between 62nd and 63rd streets. She also provides monetary support for the Paseo median from 12th Street to Truman Road, and for the greenhouse in Swope Park.
Her unselfish acts of citizenship and generosity were recognized recently by the city. On May 13, the Paseo median between 62nd and 63rd was named the Bea Davis Mall and Pergola.
“It was very gracious of the people who came,” Davis said of the dedication. “There were quite a few more people there that day than I expected to see. I hadn’t seen many of them in a long time.”
These days, Davis enjoys getting out and seeing the flowers along the boulevards, one of her favorite pastimes.
“It’s enjoyable for me to get around,” she said. “I decided years ago that I should get out and pay a little attention to the rest of the town. Efforts to beautify are generally received very gratefully.”
For many years, she also has contributed to beautification efforts along Ward Parkway.
Steve Lampone, deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department, gave a recent example of how Bea Davis has helped out. With few places to store the tropical flowers that are on display along that route, she agreed to pay for their storage in a smaller greenhouse out of her own pocket.
“The cost to heat them was going to be prohibitive for us,” Lampone said.
“She’s agreed to pay for the cost so they can continue to be used on Ward Parkway. That’s the extent to which she has gone. I don’t have a dollar amount. But she’s done this for many, many years. It’s something she feels very strongly about.”
Davis’ gifts are no secret to Ollie Gates, the former chairman of the park board.
She was leading improvement efforts around Ward Parkway when Gates asked her to tackle the beautification needs around 12th Street and the Paseo.
“She and I got to be good friends,” Gates said. “She has made a lot of contributions to Kansas City that a lot of people need to be aware of. She doesn’t barnstorm for her name to be publicized, but she’s helped both ends of the Paseo.”
Anita Gorman, a former parks board member, also is pleased with the distinction.
“Bea has worked particularly hard to make parts of Kansas City’s famed boulevard system even more beautiful for the benefit of all of us,” Gorman said. “So the naming of a portion of the Paseo is most appropriate for Bea.”
Davis could have been content to sit back and bask in the glow of her husband’s accomplishments. Instead, she made her own mark by making sure Kansas City’s boulevards are as appealing as any in the country.