Sunday, February 18, 2018
Our deepest sympathies and condolences to Lois, their children and grand children at this sad time.
I had the pleasure of working for Davis for 23 years. The man was a visionary and a pioneer and due to his persistence created Schenectady Off Track Betting which grew into a 17 county regional entity that gave millions of dollars to Schenectady, the other participating counties, the horsemen, breeders, racetracks and the State of NY. In addition there were as many as 800 jobs throughout the region, leases for betting parlors, purchase of local goods and services as well as sponsorships of individual county events. When OTB first came into being the races closed for wagering 15 minutes to post, food or beverage were prohibited as well as rest rooms and seating and there was actually no loitering. Through Davis' persistence that was all changed over the years to the point of creating the OTB Tele-theater in Albany a showplace 1000+ seat dining/banquet and racing facility simulcasting live racing from around the country.
Davis also brought a world class tennis tournament with free admission to Schenectady something that has yet to be matched locally.
We can only hope his community will remember and appreciate all of the good things he accomplished. May he rest in peace and his memory be eternal!
