Sandra Davis, a recipient of Virginia Tech’s highest honor and one of a select few friends of the university to have been named an honorary life member of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, passed away on Tuesday, March 17. She was 79.
Davis had been serving as vice rector of the university’s Board of Visitors, one of many volunteer positions she has held at Virginia Tech dating back many years. In recognition of her extraordinary service and generosity, she was named an honorary alumna in 2007. In 2015, she received the William H. Ruffner Medal, which is now known as the Ut Prosim Medal and is Virginia Tech’s highest honor.
“I was deeply sorry to learn of Sandy’s passing,” said university President Tim Sands. “She was a powerful advocate for public higher education and Virginia Tech’s potential to positively impact the lives of our students and all those we serve. Her insight and leadership on the Board of Visitors advanced the university’s mission, and the depth of her service to our communities will be felt for decades to come. She will be fondly remembered and profoundly missed.”
Davis’ proud legacy of advocacy and support for higher education extended beyond Virginia Tech to include serving on the governing boards for Radford University, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, and New River Community College. She was appointed to Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors in 2022 by then Gov. Glenn Youngkin. In addition to her role as vice rector, she chaired the board’s Governance and Administration Committee.
Along with her husband, William C. “Jack” Davis, an emeritus faculty member of the Department of History in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Davis is a namesake of the Street and Davis Performance Hall within the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. A celebration of her life is scheduled at the center for 2 p.m. April 19.
“Sandy’s leadership and generosity lifted up the value and impact of the arts across the region,” said the center’s executive director, Ruth Waalkes, who is also Virginia Tech’s associate provost for the arts. “She and Jack were two of the earliest and most ardent supporters of Virginia Tech’s arts initiative, and the Center for the Arts is a shining example of her commitment to ensuring that the arts continue to inspire, educate, and connect our community. We will miss her greatly.”
Davis’ philanthropy enhanced numerous programs at Virginia Tech, including the Center for the Arts, athletics, 4-H, the Center for Civil War Studies, the Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion and Horticulture Garden, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, Pamplin College of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. At Radford University, she named Cupp Soccer Stadium for her late husband Patrick D. Cupp, who died in 2000. Along with Jack Davis, whom she married in 2003, she is a namesake of the Radford University Davis College of Business and Economics, as well as that university’s Davis Performance Hall.
Davis was born in Radford, graduated from Floyd High School, and started working at age 17. Her career began at the Virginia Department of Health, extended into banking, and included founding BCR Real Estate and Property Management, which grew to own and operate more than 600 apartments and houses in the New River Valley.
Davis was a leader of the region’s business community. She served on the board of Go Virginia for Region 2 of the state and the Board of the Business Council of Roanoke. She chaired the boards of the Blacksburg Partnership and Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, and co-chaired the New River Passenger Rail Commission.
The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the Blacksburg Rotary each recognized Davis as Citizen of the Year. In 2022, she was inducted into the Southwest Virginia Business Hall of Fame. At Virginia Tech, she also served on the steering committee for the university’s first $1 billion fundraising campaign, chaired the Virginia Tech Athletic Fund board of directors, and chaired the Virginia Tech Foundation board of directors.
Davis is survived by her husband, her sister Mildred Weddle, two stepchildren, more than a dozen nieces and nephews in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Oregon, and her Welsh corgi, Cuddles. Additional information on Davis’ many accomplishments is in her obituary.
