Posted by Quentin on June 27, 2008, from Cincinnati, Ohio
Community Partners: Our Family Skate Association, WVXU
Now…
And then…
Charlie Davis (shown here with his daughter, Stacey Davis Folmar, and with the legendary pitcher Satchel Paige) got his nickname from Charlie Pride, the country singer and one-time baseball player who was his roommate when the two played for the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League, in the days before the integration of professional baseball. Pride came up with “Whip” after Mr. Davis, a pitcher, won twenty games in a row and relieved Paige in the East/West All Star game in 1943.
These days Mr. Davis owns and operates an auto repair shop in Cincinnati. He said in his StoryCorps conversation with Stacey that some of his former teammates were unable ever to talk about their playing days, because of the anger they had from playing in a segregated league. Davis says he understands this completely, but adds: “For me, it was still the best days of my life.”
July 13th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Hi Quentin,
Wow……How did you find him, or how he found you?
July 14th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Stacey,
Congratulations to you and your Dad on yet another great accomplishment, not just in the Skating community but in Black History.
Keep the legacy and story alive….
God Bless Both of you.
Nikki
Style Skaters Tv Network
August 26th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I have a signed p icture of your dad Charlie Davis, Lonnie Harris, Satchel Paige