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Quotes From Citizens on
Miss Gussie Nell Davis
December 20, 1993
as compiled by Kilgore College
The death of Miss Gussie
Nell Davis on Monday brought an outpouring of comments from various people
who knew Miss Davis as a famous person in the public eye, or as a
co-worker and friend.
Here are some of those
comments:
Charles K. Devall, publisher emeritus of the Kilgore News Herald, who
covered and reported many of the Rangerette activities during the early
days of that organization at Kilgore College: "Gussie Nell was one of a
kind; the best in the world in her business. She brought fame not only to
the organization she created but also to Kilgore College and Kilgore."
Dr. Randolph C. Watson, president emeritus of Kilgore College: "Through
our association on the Kilgore College campus and the years in retirement,
Gussie Nell was a special, a unique, and a true friend. Ellen (his wife)
and I will feel a great loss."
Deana Bolton Covin, Miss Davis' successor as Rangerette director, and now
retired herself: "I would never have been able to have carried on all the
traditions of the Rangerettes if I had not been Miss Davis' assistant for
seven years of training. Under her, as her assistant, it was easy;
however, it was hard to follow a living legend. Miss Davis was a living
legend if there ever
was one. When she created the Rangerettes, she gave America a new art
form."
Martha Dean, former Rangerette: "Under the leadership of Miss Davis, we
all learned not only the precision drills for which she made the
Rangerettes famous, but also life skills which will serve us throughout
the rest of our lives. She instilled pride in a job well done, a sense of
individual responsibility and working cooperatively with others. Miss
Davis was also my first employer, as she gave me the opportunity to work
as a dance instructor for the American Drill Team School©. She worked
right along with us at the school, passing along those same basic skills
to hundreds of high school girls. She was truly a lady who inspired awe in
everyone she touched."
Beth Drennan Spear, a member of the first Rangerette line in 1940: "My
dear friend Gussie Nell was a motivator, a relentless one. Perfection was
her goal and she knew how to instill confidence and self-esteem in each of
us. Her work was her life, and we were her family." |
