Davidson Charitable Foundation
James A. Buddy Davidson Charitable Foundation Supports Various Health Care Initiatives
The downtown Midland skyline creates a picturesque backdrop for Sandra Davidson and her staff to continue the work that her husband, James A. “Buddy” Davidson, began more than three decades ago.
“He was a hard-working man who loved to be at the ranch,” says Davidson, president of the foundation that bears her late husband’s name. “He was fun-loving, compassionate and extremely giving.”
Foundation board directors Elaine Greenhaw and Gail McCall and vice president Denise Newton, say his deep passion for wildlife, children, animals, religion and nursing inspired him to establish a charitable foundation that would support work in these areas.
He had one goal and that was to succeed in life and in turn be able to share with those in need, the women said.
Long before his businesses in oil and gas became profitable, Mr. Davidson gave personally, most often with little or no notoriety. Nursing, which the foundation later expanded to include a broader range of medical services, was an area dearest to him. He gained a respect for the profession through his mother, a registered nurse, who raised him as a single parent after her husband passed away.
Today, TTUHSC’s nursing students at the Permian Basin are supported by an endowed scholarship funded by the Davidson foundation. After initial nursing scholarships were established at Midland College, the foundation looked to expand its support to other organizations and institutions statewide that had a strong academic focus, explained Newton.
“TTUHSC met that objective,” added Davidson. “We have continued to work with Texas Tech because of the great diversity within the medical and nursing field. We feel that it is very important to continue to support the field of nurses, especially in the rural areas of West Texas.”
The relationship between the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Charitable Foundation and TTUHSC has grown through the years. Their gifts now include:
- F. Marie Hall SimLife Center in support of simulation education
- School of Health Professions Stroke Recovery Family Services Endowment
- School of Health Professions Autism Family Services Endowment
- School of Nursing Endowment for Faculty Research and Education related to aging population studies
- School of Nursing Endowed Scholarships at Lubbock and the Permian Basin
- School of Pharmacy at Dallas Professorship in Pediatric Pharmacology
- School of Pharmacy at Abilene Scholarship
In addition, several other schools within the TTU System have also received their support.
“We get a lot of joy in being able to carry out the foundation’s mission,” said Davidson. “(Buddy) wanted to leave this for the future, and now the future is here. That’s what this is all about.”