A GIANT PASSES
CENTRAL CITY EXTRA No. 72, October 2007
San Francisco Bay Guardin Artical
BY JOHN LAW
Jack Davis, 1940-2007
Car crash claims legendary facilitator of underground arts
a short movie
When you go to the site and play the movie, wait a bit for it to load completely.
A collection of photographs of Jack davis
these photos were taken by
Doug McKechnie,
Visual Documentarian
Catalytic Agent,
http://gallery.mac.com/dougmck1#100243
Memories of good old Jack, just a few, so much to say about this man.
October 3, 2007
Good old Jack Davis. Been trying to recall exactly when and how I first met Jack. Had to be 1969. I was recently arrived in SF from some political organizing in East Los Angeles, house sitting for my cousin, rooming with Tom Devris. Recently hired by the SF Art Commission to work with the Neighborhood Arts Program, I do believe that Jim Buffalo Bratrud first took me over to meet an “interesting couple” Jack and Judy.
Their place was pure 60’s San Francisco and to me, Jack and Judy were the epitome of all of the beauty and brilliance emerging from that time. I fell in love with both of them instantly.
Jack was working at Lone Mountain College, he describe his job as a glorified handyman. Typical Jack Davis understatement. Jack cleaned up an under used storage space, and created a vibrant theater.
Steven Goldstein, recently hired to rebuild the Neighborhood Arts Program, hired Jack to maintain NAP’s sound and stage equipment, and to set up this equipment for neighborhood arts events.
Jack took this mandate into virtually every neighborhood in the City. He built a fabulous and loyal crew. Ernie Rivera and Jim Buffalo can tell you more. Jack was one of the reasons the NAP was able to rebuild and resume the people’s art legacy originated by June Dunn and Becky Jenkins.
The NAP had a limited budget, and Jack’s share was small, but there was a new jobs program being trotted out in SF called CETA, and Jack used it smartly to build his fabulous staff and NAP’s service capability.
Jack’s service to SF through his NAP work is an entire story in itself, hopefully someone can tell it in detail. So many brilliant, creative people helped make the NAP what it was at that time.
My tenure with NAP had predictable time limits, another story, and I resigned, and with Jack and Rene Yanez’s counsel, decided to work closer, strengthening local neighborhood arts institutions.
Rene found me a rent-free living space rooming with Louis Santana and Jack gave me occasional work, building sets and stages at the pier where NAP stored its equipment.
Jack introduced me to John Williams, director of Intersection in North Beach, who took me on as a consultant to continue efforts to strengthen the institutional bases of neighborhood arts groups in SF and statewide.
Once, Rene Yanez and I drove to Los Angeles to meet with Esteban Torres. My van blew out its third cylinder coming up the Grapevine. We left it on the road, but called good old Jack who while we were doing our LA work, drove his truck down to where our van was and towed it back to SF. No charge, Jack said that he was in the mood for a road trip and we gave him the excuse. He parked my van in his drive way and helped me put in a new motor.
During my work with Intersection, I realized that I had to enlarge the scope of my efforts, to get back to my roots in DC, to find allies for our efforts to strengthen the work of NAPs in California and nationwide. I told Jack and Rene that it was time for me to leave SF, to go back to DC, but that after so many formative years in California I wasn’t sure that my head was on straight enough for this job.
Jack recommended that I take a slow route back and mention that a ride on the Trans Canadian railway was a fine way to do it. I took his advice and took a couple of months on the road, hitchhiking and finally the rail trip through the plains of Canada. A fabulous, Jack Davis inspired adventure.
Jack continued to work with me when I was a panelist and consultant to the National Endowment for the Arts, Expansion Arts Program. He brought many worthwhile, and heavily under funded groups to the attention of NEA.
When the Neighborhood Arts Program National Organizing Committee (NAPNOC) was founded at the United Auto Worker’s Black Lake Educational Center in Onoway, Michigan, Jack was one of its founders and members of its board of Directors. When NAPNOC setup its west coast regional office in SF, Jack was critical in recommending staffing and in defusing the rich and numerous hassles, which permeate our creative communities.
Hell, I could go on and on, each memories surface another, but then that’s what Jack’s life was all about: endless service, humility a generous style, personal friendship, and love.
Jack lived the Ruskin quote: “When love and skill work together expect a masterpiece”.
He was one beautiful, grand, huge masterpiece.
IF WE WERE A TRIBE, HE WAS OUR CHIEF.
So many wonderful things have been said about Jack Davis because he
was a phenomenal, one of a kind guy.
I first met Jack because a friend insisted that we meet. He kept
telling me, “Hey, man, there’s this guy at Lone Mountain College
and you and he look exactly alike.” It was true that day in 1970 as
I walked across the dance floor of the Wabe at Lone Mountain College
toward Jack. We both were wearing bell-bottom jeans with a bright
shirt and vest. We each had a long reddish beard and blond hair. He
had a few inches on me but our friend was right, we did look
remarkably similar. We became fast friends, brothers and partners in
a long 30-year+ history of theatrical productions, events and just
plain fun.
I was in awe of his ability to get things done with such grace and
style and simplicity. He could come into a crowd of bickering people
and when he spoke, the waters calmed, heads turned and people
listened. It became known as the Jack Davis effect. He radiated calm,
competent intelligence. He was gracious and kind and I rarely saw him
loose his temper. There were occasions however when he could be
extremely intimidating. I remember on a music awards show we were
both stage managing, one very self-important rock star became upset
with me for announcing him on too soon and began threatening me after
his set was done. Jack stepped between us and said a few words in a
tone that drained the blood from the face of said star and he
retreated to his dressing room.
I still hear his voice. I hope to always hear his voice in my mind.
“Hey, Dougie, how’s it going? What’cha up to?”
Every time I needed something, Jack was there‑40 foot stage, sound
system, crews, advice, lunch – what ever it was, he could get it or
do it. He loved and lived to be there for people. He revered good
conversation and good books and his knowledge of the world was legend.
He also knew where all the good eateries and drinking establishments
were, the little, out-of-the-way places that people usually pass by,
the places where great food was offered at humane prices. Little hole
in the wall spots that served the working class with honest, good
food and drink. Whether it was Chinatown, 3rd St, the waterfront,
Oakland, LA, he knew where these gems were buried and delighted in
turning you on to them.
One day, in 1977 he came and got me in my office at Fort Mason and
said, “Come see this.”
“This” was an optical illusion he had just finish hanging in Pier
3 of the face of Thomas Jefferson, or was it George Washington. It
was to be hung in Grand Central Station in New York and Jack wanted
to make sure it worked. He had designed the rigging and figured out
how to hang it so it became 3-dimentional over the length of a
football field.
One day in 1984 Jack called me up and said meet me at the Bay View
Boat Club. I walked in and there was Jack, talking to 6 old geezers
at the bar. He showed me around the place and said, “I think this
place has tremendous potential. Let’s join and see what we can
do.” Jack talked the club into having a special, one-year membership
drive that allowed people who didn’t have a boat to join. We called
everyone we knew and before you could say ‘bottle of beer’ the
club had 200 new members, all who eventually got boats. Jack was
elected Commodore two years later and set the model for what is still
one of the most astonishing, real, funky places in the world.
Jack was as close to a bodhisattva as anyone I ever met. This quote
from Emerson is appropriate to Jack. I will miss him every day of the
rest of my life and count myself blessed that I was his dear friend.
Doug McKechnie.
“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent
persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of
honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to find the
best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit
better, by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social
condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with
exaltation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you
have lived… this is to have succeeded.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Doug McKechnie,
Visual Documentarian
Catalytic Agent,
28 Glen Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
my hero
I will start by saying jack is one of my hero’s..
The last time i spoke to jack he signed a $300,000 bond that allowed
the Flaming lotus Girls to ship our container to Europe this summer.
It was two days before the shipping date and it could not ship without
it and with a smile he made it happen for us. Jack has made so many
things happen for me (he often called me “the boy who couldn’t say
no”) and then he would help me with what ever ridiculous request I
had. Each time he would do it all with the ease of a smile. From his
fiscal support of Cellspace, Qbox, the Boxshop and the Flaming Lotus
Girls… to just showing me that you could make a living and a make
difference in the Arts if you were willing to work hard and just keep
going.
Jack was always there for so many people, jobs, advice, a lift home he
never turned down a single request i ever made him. He was a damned
angel of a human being.
Charles Gadeken
Jack Davis
Hello everyone,
This blog is being started to chronicle some of the wonderful
deeds, acts and stories of Jack Davis.
this email list is for us and others who knew and need to know about
Jack. I think eventually we will want to chronicle the thoughts and
words collected here into a more stable and long lasting medium, like
a web page or something better, like a book… but time can see what
will happen.
For now i just want to hear some of the Tale that is Jack Davis, some
deeds, some acts, some thoughts and memories of one of the great men
of San Francisco.
