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Henry B. Davis, Jr., age 88, a resident of Los Lunas, died suddenly Saturday, December 28, 2002 at the Albuquerque Regional Medical Center. He was born September 1, 1915 in Lancaster, PA to Dr. Henry B. Davis and Annie Watt Davis. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Jane M. Davis; sister, Annie Watt Clure of Lititz, PA and five children, Henry and Dora Davis, III of Grants, John and Francoise Davis, II, of Arlington, VA, Molly Delapp (ex-husband Ken Delapp) of Albuquerque, Annie and Gary Gunn of San Antonio, and Ned and Patty Davis of Akron, OH; 15 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.From his roots in Lancaster, Pennsylvania through his retirement in New Mexico, Henry B. Davis Jr. spent a lifetime studying American Military History.He first enlisted in the 111th Cavalry (NMNG) at the age of eighteen and was commissioned in the cavalry Reserve on his twenty-first birthday in 1936. Just as the country entered World War II, he was relieved from active duty to a degenerative lung condition derived from repeated pneumonia suffered as a child. Finding a loophole in the physical requirements of enlisted personnel, Henry resigned his commission, re-enlisted in the cavalry and returned to active duty. Two months later, he was re-commissioned in grade and became a great rarity, having been commissioned from the ranks twice. His lungs, unable to keep up with his desire for an active military career, hemorrhaged, and he was forced to retire from the service.A productive civil career led to an early retirement and eventually to Mr. Davis' involvement in the New Mexico Military Museum in Santa Fe. This was followed by a position as curator of the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky. His work there then led him to the Calvary Museum at Fort Riley, Kansas and eventually to the United States Marine Corps Museum at Barstow. He was then director of the Quartermaster Museum at Fort Lee, Virginia and finally of the Fort Huachuca Museum in Arizona. Henry Davis was elected a Fellow of the Company of Military Historians, and was a member of the Organization of Military Museums of Canada.In 1998, his efforts of 15 years,"Generals in Khaki," was published.He will be remembered often and missed greatly by all who knew and loved him. The family had a gathering on Sunday, December 29, 2002. There will be a scattering of the ashes at the CS Ranch, Cimarron, NM in the spring. Funeral Services are entrusted to: Alameda Mortuary 9420 4th Street NW 898-3160
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