[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E993]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





             HONORING WILLIS ``BING'' DAVIS OF DAYTON, OHIO

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL R. TURNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 29, 2022

  Mr. TURNER. Madam Speaker, my hometown of Dayton, Ohio, which I am 
proud to represent in this chamber, is home to many illustrious 
citizens who have dedicated their time and talents to making this world 
a better place to live. One of them is Willis ``Bing'' Davis, who has 
enriched us for over 60 years as an educator, artist, curator, 
community servant, and mentor. Bing has been the driving force behind 
many important cultural and arts projects and initiatives that enhance 
the understanding and appreciation of African American history and 
culture.
  Bing Davis was born in Greer, South Carolina on June 30, 1937, the 
son of a coal truck driver and gospel singer. He grew up in Dayton, 
Ohio and attended Washington Elementary School on the east side of 
town. At six feet four inches tall, Bing was a two-time First Team All-
City basketball standout at Wilbur Wright High School, where he 
graduated in 1955. With the help of coach Dean Dooley, Bing entered 
DePauw University to study Art Education. His athletic prowess on the 
basketball court and on the track team earned him induction into 
DePauw's Athletics Hall of Fame.
  After graduating from DePauw in 1959, and from Miami University in 
1967, Bing studied at the Dayton Art Institute, and Indiana State 
University. He returned to DePauw in 1970 as its first full-time, 
tenure track, African American professor and taught a ceramics class at 
Central State University for 20 years.
  While at Central State University, Bing was the Chair of the Art 
Department and Director of the Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing 
Arts Center. After retiring from teaching in 1998, Bing went on to 
create the Willis Bing Davis Art Studio & EbonNia Gallery in the 
Wright-Dunbar neighborhood of Dayton. Bing also founded SHANGO Inc., a 
non-profit organization designed to provide a positive art and culture-
oriented environment for Dayton's youth.
  Over the course of his illustrious career, Bing has held exhibitions 
at the Renwick Gallery, the Studio Museum of Harlem, and the National 
Museum of Art of Senegal, West Africa, amongst many others. In tribute 
to his international acclaim, Bing's artwork can be found across the 
world in England, China, Japan, France, Australia, and throughout 
Africa.
  His distinguished career has led Bing to receive numerous awards, 
including the Ohio Governor's Irma Lazarus Lifetime Achievement Award, 
given as the highest art award in the state of Ohio.
  With strong roots in the Dayton community, Bing prides himself on 
being a champion for Dayton Public Schools and an advocate against 
racism. Growing up, Bing's mentors encouraged him to follow his dreams 
of becoming an artist. Following in their path, Bing takes it upon 
himself to ``Reach High and Reach Back'' to his Appalachian and East 
Dayton roots by inspiring the next generation of African American 
artists.
  Looking back over his long and productive life, Bing once remarked: 
``I received two blessings: being born black, and being raised in East 
Dayton . . . . It's a unique worldview that gives me strength.''
  Bing Davis has been selected by the Presidents Club of Dayton as the 
71st recipient of the prestigious Citizen Legion of Honor Award. The 
Citizen Legion of Honor Award is an appropriate tribute to his lifelong 
legacy of scholarship and community service. I congratulate Bing on 
this well-deserved honor and thank him for his substantial 
contributions to the civic, cultural, and economic well-being of the 
Dayton region, and our Nation.

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