Bob Davis Day Declared in Kansas, Longtime KU Broadcaster Recognized
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Bob Davis was restricted from speaking on both floors – the one thing that he’s done professionally and proficiently as voice of the Kansas Jayhawks – but he was recognized along with 150 years of the University of Kansas at Kansas State Capitol in Topeka Thursday afternoon. The Kansas House of Representatives also declared April 28, 2016 to be “Bob Davis Day.”
Davis, the recently retired voice of Kansas football and men’s basketball, toured the Kansas Statehouse and was introduced in the senate by Senator Ralph Ostmeyer and in the house by Representative Ray Merrick, Speaker of the House.
“I had not been to the Statehouse recently, I don’t think I’ve been since they made all the renovations – it looks great,” Davis said. “It was really interesting. I was in the house and the senate, saw a lot of people I knew. It was really kind of a fun day. It was a little different. Of course I couldn’t talk on the floor, unless you’re a member – I stood there and smiled a lot.”
The trip sparked memories of Davis’ first trip to the Statehouse when he climbed to the top of the rotunda with his grandfather as a middle schooler, and watching Hays sculptor Pete Felten work on the four limestone carvings that now reside in the building during his time in Western Kansas. Davis didn’t join Arthur Capper, Amelia Earhart, Dwight Eisenhower, or William Allen White in stone Thursday, but the significant Kansan was given his own day by legislative decree.
“You do this for so long, people are listening and watching and you do form a relationship with that listener,” Davis said. “That kind of comes back when people come up and say that they’ve never met you but I remember this, or will never forget such and such. It’s kind of a special feeling, not that it’s a major contribution to civilization, but you do kind of reach people and touch lives a little bit. That’s what it’s all about.”
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
