The funeral for Myrtle Hilliard Davis was held Dec. 30 at Jamieson CME Church. Davis, the retired president and CEO of Myrtle Hilliard Davis Comprehensive Health Center, died Dec. 26 at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center from complications from pneumonia and was buried at St. Peters Cemetery.
Myrtle Hilliard Davis was born on June 13, 1926 in Texarkana, Arkansas. She was the second of two children born to the union of Arthur and Thelma Hilliard. During her early childhood her family, including her brother, Dr. Alphonso Hilliard, moved to St. Louis. Davis was educated in the St. Louis Public Schools and is a graduate of Sumner High School.
Her life’s calling was in the field of healthcare. She attended Homer G. Phillips Nursing School where she graduated in 1955. Following a number of years as a practicing nurse, Myrtle began work on the administrative side of healthcare.
In 1969, while working for the Human Development Corporation, she wrote the grant for what would become Saint Louis Comprehensive Health Center. This health center would become her legacy. From the opening of the center until the early 1980s, she worked tirelessly in administering its day-to-day operations. During this period she obtained a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from the University of Cincinnati.
After a brief stint as president of a health center in Boston, she returned to Saint Louis Comprehensive Health Center to serve as president and CEO. She held this position until her retirement in 2001. Upon her retirement, the Board of Directors voted to rename the health center in her honor.
“She had a fairly good grasp on healthcare management and financing,” said Dr. Will Ross, associate dean and director of diversity programs at the Washington University School of Medicine. “We had our own local expert.”
Ross said Davis and Betty Kerr at People’s Health Centers “convinced me that healthcare is best delivered by community health centers.”
Davis was that no one due to economic circumstance or station in life should be deprived of quality health care. As a result, generations of St. Louisans received the highest quality health care.
Ross said of Davis, “She was unmoved by position and status, and she didn’t mince words.
Davis received numerous awards and honors including meetings with President Gerald Ford and later with First Lady Barbara Bush. She was a member of numerous organizations, including Links, Inc., Top Ladies of Distinction and the NAACP. She also sat on numerous boards including the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Davis was a devoted mother to her son, Drew H. Davis. In 2000, she was blessed with her granddaughter, Natasha Davis. Natasha was the apple of her “Nana’s” eye, and the loving bond was obvious to everyone.
She confessed a hope in Christ at an early age. She was a member of Washington Metropolitan AME Zion Church from early childhood, serving as a member of the Church Missionary Society.
She is survived by her son, Drew H. Davis, granddaughter, Natasha Davis; brother, Alphonso Hilliard of Washington, GA; nephews, Winston and Tony Hilliard; and a host of other nieces, nephews and cousins.
Memorial contributions may be made to Washington Metropolitan AME Zion Church, 613 North Garrison Avenue.