William “Bill” R. Davis, Prominent Physician, RCC Norco Mentor, dies

William “Bill” Randolph Davis, a retired physician who served as the first Chief of Allergy-Immunology at Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda, California from 1980 to 1998, has died. He was 74.

Davis who was diagnosed with a mesothelioma, the signature tumor for asbestos exposure, in 2005 died at his home in Diamond Bar surrounded by his wife Dr.  Brenda Davis, president of Riverside Community College District Norco Campus, family and friends.

In 1968 Dr. Davis retired with the rank of Major from the Army Medical Corps. As a Board Certified Pediatrician he established the first satellite Well Baby Clinic in his office for the City of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1977 he was the first African-American to complete a post doctoral fellowship in Allergy-Immunology at the University of Southern California and became Board Certified in Allergy-Immunology.

In his capacity at Pettis Memorial Veteran’s Hospital, Davis provided care to many veterans in the Inland Empire.

“Bill was a trailblazer for the forward progression of African-Americans in medicine. He loved military medicine,” said Dr. Davis.  “He was extremely intelligent and witty. You could wake him up at 2 in the morning and talk to him about infectious disease or his love of tennis. He was front and center as a role model.”

In fact recognizing the financial needs of African-American nursing students, Dr. Bill Davis established the first emergency fund for nursing students currently administered by the Inland Empire Black Nurses’ Association (IEBNA). He created the association’s logo on his computer and received recognition for his years of service at an awards banquet in 1990.

A native of Newport News, Virginia, Davis graduated from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia in 1956. At his 50th reunion recently he was inducted into emeritus status. He attended the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and had the distinction of being the only African American student in the graduating class of 1964.

For more than 30 years Dr. Bill Davis served as a friendly face and beacon of hope for education excellence at the RCC Norco Campus. He served as a mentor for the ‘Talented Tenth Program’ for African American students at the Norco Campus. He raised thousands of dollars for a myriad of RCC programs including the District’s Passport to College, Measure C Bond Campaign. He served as official photographer for the campus’ Annual Graduate/Transfer reception from 1994 to the time of his passing.

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