24 Apr
2013
24 Apr
'13
6:44 p.m.
With sorrow we share the news that Kathryn Wasserman Davis passed away on April 23, 2013,
at her home in Hobe Sound, Florida. She was 106.
In honor of a most generous pledge from the Davis family, Harvard's Russian Research
Center (RRC) was renamed the Kathryn W. and Shelby Cullom Davis Center in April 1996, in
honor of Mrs. Davis and her late husband. The Davis family's special commitment to
undergraduate education has made possible the annual Undergraduate Colloquium on Russian
and Eurasian Studies, which showcases research by students from Harvard, Wellesley College
(Mrs. Davis's alma mater), and Wheaton College (alma mater of her daughter, Diana
Davis Spencer). This event, now in its 18th year, has distinguished Russian studies and
served as a model for meaningful undergraduate opportunities at Harvard.
Davis Center Senior Scholar Marshall I. Goldman, the Kathryn W. Davis Professor of Russian
Economics, Emeritus, at Wellesley College, was instrumental in nurturing the Davis
family's relationship with the RRC during his tenure as associate director. Mrs.
Davis's interest in Russia—dating back to her young adulthood, when she traveled
through the Caucasus on horseback on an anthropological expedition—has found expression in
her support of Russian and international studies at several distinguished universities,
colleges, and libraries.
A profound devotion to peace and understanding animated Mrs. Davis's life. Already in
her twenties she published a book, The Soviets at Geneva: The USSR and the League of
Nations, 1919-1933, and she maintained a deep commitment to international peace. An active
outdoorsperson throughout her life, she was also an ardent supporter of environmental
causes. On the occasion of her 100th birthday, she created Davis Projects for Peace, a
program that funds 100 student summer projects aimed at increasing global understanding.
Mrs. Davis once commented on her family's decision to support Russian studies at
Harvard: "During this turbulent period...it is imperative that we keep in close
contact and try to make a reality of Russia's favorite toast—Mir i Druzhba,
'Peace and Friendship.'" Times remain turbulent, but the Davis Center
remains committed to Mrs. Davis's aspiration for a greater American understanding of
Russian politics and appreciation of Russian culture.
Terry Martin
Director, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies