Distinguished Author Award Named in Honor of Royden B. Davis, S.J.

The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton have announced that their annual Distinguished Author Award has been named in honor of the late Rev. Royden B. Davis, S.J. The Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award will recognize and honor Father Davis's distinguished service and contributions to the Friends of the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Library, including his service as its first president.

 

The recipient of the 2003 Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award will be presented at a dinner on Nov. 8, 2003.

 

The Distinguished Author Award Series was born out of the Friends of the Weinberg Library's interest in recognizing and honoring the work of fiction and non-fiction authors and in providing an opportunity for authors to visit Scranton to speak about their literary pursuits and impressions with residents of northeastern Pennsylvania. The annual event also helps the Friends of the Weinberg Library Endowment Fund, which supports gifts for the Weinberg Library's collections and services.

 

Past recipients of the Distinguished Author Award have included Emmy, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning author and actor Jack Palance, Malachy McCourt, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, and Lisa Scottoline. The award was first given in 1997.

 

Father Davis, who died in 2002 at the age of 78, served in many roles at The University of Scranton. A native of Ventnor City, N.J., he earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1947 and a juris doctorate in 1949 from Georgetown University. In 1950, he entered the Society of Jesus at the Novitiate of St. Isaac Jogues in Wernersville. In 1955, he completed a master's degree in political science and a licentiate in philosophy from St. Louis University. He received a licentiate in theology from Woodstock College in 1960. Following a year of study in Belgium, he returned to Georgetown University for additional graduate studies in government from 1961 to 1965.

 

Father Davis taught briefly at The University of Scranton in the 1950s. In 1991, he returned to the University to serve as rector of the Jesuit Community at Scranton. He was a member of the board of trustees for The University of Scranton and Scranton Preparatory School.

 

At the conclusion of his service as rector in 1997, he remained at the University as an associate campus minister and chaplain of the Panuska College of Professional Studies. He also served as a critical member of the President's Task Force on Ignatian Identity and Mission, and played a major role in shaping the Task Force's final report, from which emerged the creation of the University's Center for Mission Reflection. He was instrumental in opening the doors of the Jesuit residence, Campion Hall, to the greater campus community.

 

In 1997, The University of Scranton presented Father Davis with the Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award for Ignatian Mission and Ministries, which recognizes persons who have made significant contributions to the Ignatian mission.