Jack and MaryLou Davis Have Strong Aggie Roots
Jack and MaryLou Davis met as students at New Mexico State University in the late 1960s. MaryLou was an education major, and Jack earned his first bachelor's degree in medical technology through the biology department. Their first home was in Las Cruces. She taught second grade at University Hills Elementary School and he worked in the lab at (then) Memorial General Hospital.
Following in the footsteps of his father and older brother, Jack returned to college to study electrical engineering with an emphasis on utility management. He earned a second bachelor's degree in 1973. After his graduation, the Davises relocated to Phoenix, and Jack went to work for Arizona Public Service (APS) in the system planning department. He remained with that company and its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Co., until his retirement in 2008.
Jack rose through the management ranks, becoming president and CEO of APS and Pinnacle West. At the time of his retirement, Arizona Public Service honored his many contributions to the company and the industry by establishing a named scholarship endowment in the college of engineering at NMSU to support students interested in pursuing careers in the power industry. Jack and MaryLou continue to add to the endowment.
MaryLou continued her career as an educator. She received her master's degree in education, with an emphasis on fetal alcohol syndrome, from Grand Canyon University. She taught in Phoenix Elementary School District 1 and at Phoenix College. She is now involved with the Gompers Habilitation Center, a day program in Phoenix that serves individuals ages 5 to 82 with mental and physical disabilities. MaryLou has served on the board of directors since 2000, is the past chairman and remains actively involved in raising money to support its many services.
Retirement offers Jack the opportunity to serve Arizona and the power industry in new ways. He is the chairman of the board for the Arizona Community Foundation, which has assets of $600 million to support the work of nonprofits across the state, and is on the board of directors for Portland General Electric, a publicly traded power company in Oregon. They are both involved with New Mexico State University as well. Jack has served on the advisory board of the electrical utility management program in the college of engineering. MaryLou serves on the NMSU Foundation Board of Directors as a member of the governance committee and secretary to the board.
"Over the years, NMSU engineering graduates have become key employees with APS, and it is important to support the engineers of the future," Jack says. In 2012, six students received scholarships through the endowment.
They share the belief that education is a vital tool no one can take away and say the education they received at NMSU contributed to the success they have enjoyed.
"We learned from our parents the importance of sharing and giving back," MaryLou says. That philosophy inspires their strong support for the university.
In 2012, MaryLou started an endowment in the college of education. While it grows, she is also making current-use gifts to support scholarships in early childhood education. As members of The 1888 Society, they have additional gifts planned through their estates.