William B. Davis papers

William Butler Davis was born in Middletown, Connecticut, on September 27, 1871 and died on November 16, 1937, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. He attended Wesleyan University where he earned his bachelor of philosophy in 1894. He then attended Trinity College where he earned his bachelor of music degree in 1918. Most of his life was focused on music: from 1894 to 1927, Davis was the choirmaster and organist of The Church of the Holy Trinity in Middletown; from 1908 to 1928, director of the Glee Club; from 1892 to 1917, an instructor in church music at the Berkeley Divinity School of Yale University; and in 1917, he was the music instructor at Middletown High School. In 1907, Davis along with fellow Wesleyan alumnus, Kenneth Goode, class of 1904, wrote a comic opera called "The Girl and the Graduate." It was first performed locally in 1907 and later performed at the Berkley Theater in New York City to a standing-room only audience. Davis never married, but he was very involved in his teaching, especially while teaching at Middletown High School, where each year, he would chose two students whom he would sponsor for four years at Wesleyan. In 1928, Davis moved out of Middletown to Old Saybrook, but continued to teach at Middletown High School until he died.