TMC(SS) Jim Davison and his story

Since 12-31-05

Davison been in the area for over 40 years

By Theresa McQueen, The Porterville Recorder

It's hard to believe that the child who always wanted to be a farmer would instead grow up to be a chief torpedoman in the Navy, submarine qualified, and later make a second career working with the developmentally disabled. But that's only a small piece of the multidimensional puzzle of events that made Jim Davison the individual he is today. A Porterville resident for more than 40 years, Davison and his life stories demonstrate the essence of loyalty, commitment and an undying work ethic.

Tell me about your upbringing.

“I was born Jan. 12, 1929 in Fresno. I grew up in the old Fig Garden district - it was a small community with a grocery store, post office and a packing house. We moved to Clovis in my teen years. We lived on a big ranch with all kinds of stuff, grapes, oranges, peaches, figs and grains. And we had two horses, three cows and anywhere between eight to 30 pigs.”

Did you have to help out your family with the farm as a child?

“In my high-school years, I would get up at 5 a.m., milk the cows, feed the pigs and other animals, get the horses ready for the day's work. Then I would go in, change clothes, buff up and eat breakfast. Then I'd walk a mile and a half to catch a bus at 7:15 in the morning. I was picked up first, and rode it (bus) until 8:45 a.m.”

What stands out in your mind about the start of your military involvement?

“I joined the Navy Nov. 7, 1948 and went to recruit training in San Diego. On March 4, 1949, I was deployed overseas and was gone for nine months, patrolled all over Japan. We did a goodwill tour in South Korea before the war started, but you could see that it was in a hostile state. We returned home to San Diego for Christmas and stayed there until March of 1950. On June 27, the Korean War broke out so I was sent to San Diego for a shakedown cruise. We loaded up and deployed.”

How did you get introduced to Porterville?

“I went to recruiting school in San Diego in 1963 and in May of 1963 I was assigned to recruiting duty in Porterville, Calif. I stayed here [recruiting] until March of 1968 when I retired. I retired as chief torpedoman, submarine qualified.”

What response did you get when recruiting sailors for the Navy?

“People responded well to me recruiting. I wouldn't let the kids sign up until they finished high school, unless they were in a special situation, like they were not going to school and dropping out - some of them looked like they might be headed for trouble with the law - those kids I'd recruit sooner before they got into a worse situation. I recruited probably 50 to 60 kids a year for five years. My most outstanding memory from that was in June of 1965. I enlisted 27 [recruits] in the month of June. There were so many at one time that they had to send up a bus there to get them.”

What military organizations are you involved in?

“I'm a member of the VFW [Veterans of Foreign Wars], the American Legion, I'm president of the Korean War Association and I'm a member of the Submarine Veteran Association. I'm also in the funeral detail for the VFW and American Legion. Today there were seven of us [on funeral detail] at a funeral for a past commander of the National Guard here.

Did you do anything for Pearl Harbor Day?

“I waived my flag at half mast. I wave my flag every day. I raise it in the morning and take it down at night, even when I go camping. Wherever I stay at, [my American flag] goes.”

Was the military your only career? If not, what was your occupation?

“Well, after I retired from the Navy in 1968, I worked part time selling cars and wasn't too successful at it, so I went to the unemployment office and this young guy said he could get me a job but I had to start at the bottom and work my way up. So I went to work for Porterville Developmental Center for 22 years. I was a store supervisor for the dietary service. I retired from there in January of 1991. At that time my wife was a psych-tech and operated a care home so I helped her out until November of 1993. Then we both retired. Since then we do a lot of volunteer work.”

Contact Theresa McQueen at 784-5000, Ext. 1051, or tmcqueen@portervillerecorder.com.

This story was published in The Porterville Recorder on December 17, 2005