Celebrating the life, art and legacy of Stan “The Man” Davis.

I was introduced to the art Mr. Stan “The Man” Davis created around the year 2003 when I was a sophomore at John W. North High School. Some memories of Mr. Davis that I have are while grocery shopping at Stater Bros on Iowa St. where I would be with my mother. He was often accompanied by his daughter Shirrawn Davis and her mother Mrs. Lily Davis. My mother would then tell me that he was a really talented baseball player. I can still remember the smile that would follow on his face after the compliment. In the years following while in my sophomore year at North, I was introduced to art by Stan “The Man” Davis as airbrushed murals of loved ones on t-shirts. Something that I appreciated most about the art by Mr. Stan “The Man” Davis was the realism of his pieces. They looked as if they are photos regardless of the canvas that was used.

While in my undergraduate studies at the University of California Riverside during the Fall quarter of 2024. I took a course of the History of the Inland Empire/ Los Angelos. This class sparked my interest for a number of reasons. What I did not expect was for the course content to be pretty much a confirmation of a lot of history that I was exposed to while growing up in Riverside, Ca. So, to say I was excited about what was to come. The Professor, Dr. Catherine Gudis and I established a solid line of communication following the first lecture. The first slide she showed was of the neighborhood I grew up in. It had two photos of Park Avenue and one downtown. The first was a photo of some gentlemen sitting in chairs outside of Orange Valley Masonic Lodge #13. The other photo was of some African American women all wearing matching outfits in a line posing in the street. The last photo struck me with much excitement because it was a photo of close to 50 if not more African American men and women standing on the stairs in front of Allan Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church all dressed in suits, and fine clothes. Some wore fezzes and gloves. The photo was very distinguished and sticking of Black excellence from the same community that I grew up in. Following the lecture, I shared with Dr. Gudis that my great grandmother Gladys Drayton Flangan was part of that same lodge and church when she first moved to Riverside, Ca. from Winter Haven, Florida in 1934 when she was 17 years old with her younger niece Esse Mae Cunningham. I did well in the course. Following that quarter, in January, Dr. Gudis approached me with an opportunity for my involvement with contributing to the Inland Empire Civil Rights Institute archive. I accepted this opportunity.

In the weeks following, I invited close friends to come share personal stories of loved ones and to share some history of community leaders. The most perfect person and representative of my community stepped up to share a personal story of her father. Why do I say that she is the most perfect person and representative of my community? Look at what she does for work at the Riverside Superior Court. Look at the professionalism she conducts every day in her line of work. Not only is she an advocate for the silenced but look at the legacy she upholds. I thank you. And salute you. Shirrawn Davis. Thank you for sharing the work and art that your father Stan “The Man” Davis created. Not only was Mr. Davis an amazing artist, but he was talented in sports and extremely educated. Mr. Davis was the holder of a master’s degree in art where he also was a teacher and professor. Enjoy some art pieces by Mr. Stan “The Man” Davis.