From Barb (Fazio) Harrold

Jeff Davis, gifted actor, writer and friend.

I first met Jeff in 6th grade when we moved to Indiana. I remember his peculiar fascination with the Titanic, which at 30 years prior to the blockbuster movie, was not exactly in vogue. Even then, he was ahead of his time.

I enjoyed acting with him in "Books and Crooks" in junior high, then "Ah, Wilderness!" at IHS where he had the lead role... Richard, the rebellious youth, searching for the meaning of life in 1906 Connecticut. But, of course his crowning IHS achievement, and my very favorite show, was "The Importance of Being Earnest", where he played Algernon Moncrieff. He had such a natural ability to get completely into character, a stage maturity beyond his years.

I was also privileged to work with Jeff on the High Arrow newspaper staff, where he expressed his creative intellect in the written word. He had his own "column", so to speak. In other words, while everyone else wrote about student council, clubs, sports, etc. he wrote about whatever he chose in his unique, humorous style. When I look back over my High Arrows, I notice how Jeff's witty, off-beat articles stand head and shoulders above all the other typical high school fluff. ( I am sending some scanned samples of his stories, hopefully they are readable).

Though Jeff is known for his scathing (yet humorous) sarcasm and I-don't-care-what-anyone-thinks-of-me demeanor, I know I caught glimpses of a sensitive and caring soul underneath. I am sorry we fell out of touch. But over the years, thoughts of him have come to mind. A sardonic or wry comment will remind me of something he may have said, and of course I'll think back on it with a smile.

Barb (Fazio) Harrold