Dr. Robert F. Mcdavid

Name: Visitation
Start: 06/22/2018 04:00 PM
End: 06/22/2018 08:00 PM
Location: Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home

May 20, 1925 — June 19, 2018

Dr. Robert Finley McDavid, Jr. died peacefully on June 19, 2018 surrounded by his daughters and sons at his home in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was 93 years old. Dr. McDavid, known affectionately as "Doc", "Legs" and "Bob", was predeceased in 2006 by his beloved wife of 55 years, Maryalyce Truman McDavid. They met as college students while attending the University of Notre Dame and Rosary College (now Dominican University), respectively. He and Mrs. McDavid reared a close-knit family of 13 children and were also blessed with 22 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Their children, daughters- and sons-in law and grandchildren are: Finn and Debbie of Downer's Grove, Illinois and their children Allie and Shannon; Mary and Dr. Ibrahim Ibrahim (d. 2008) of Washington, D.C. and Doha, Qatar; Bess and Boubé Saibou of Rockville, Maryland and their children Rouké, Moctar and his wife Luna; Eileen (d. 1994); George and Linda of Yardley, Pennsylvania and their children Meghan, Edward and Michael; Tom and Connie of Summerville, South Carolina and their children Catie, Kathleen and her husband Jeff, and their children Wick and J.P.; Pat and Katie Killian of Arlington, Virginia and their children Grace, Shelby, and Camille; Martha Erin and Ben Soto of Arlington, Virginia and their children Maggie and Pedro; Michael and Kathleen of San Jose, California and their children Ian Crosson and William; John and Pam of Avon, Indiana, and their children Haley and Darcy Hunter, Jackson and Avery; Dennis and Carol of Auburn Hills, Michigan; Kathleen and Mark Harrison of Atlanta, Georgia and their children Audra and Sloan; and Margaret of Denver, Colorado. In recent years, Dr. McDavid rekindled a childhood friendship and married Josephine Hamilton Faust of McComb, Mississippi, in 2010.
Dr. McDavid was born in McComb, Mississippi on May 20, 1925 to Robert Finley McDavid, Sr., an engineer on the Illinois Central Railroad and Bessie Thompson, a homemaker from Louisiana. Dr. McDavid is predeceased by his parents and sisters Thelma, Lora May, and Bessie Yvonne. He was greatly influenced by a childhood during the depression era and recalled his mother providing hot meals to the unemployed in exchange for chores -- a lesson on the dignity of work and respect for all people, no matter their station -- that he also instilled in his children.
At McComb East high school he was a state champion high hurdler and football player. He graduated high school early in 1943 and at age 17 enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps to join the war effort. He transferred to the U.S. Army infantry's "B Company", 28th Division and landed in the D-Day invasions at Utah Beach in Normandy, France on June 9, 1944. In France he was stationed near Sainte Mre Eglise where he vividly recalled attending the first Catholic mass in liberated Europe. He later served in the post-war occupation of Germany. He was awarded the Silver Service Star for his World War II combat service.
After his active duty military service he enrolled in and graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame in 1949. There he earned three monograms as a high hurdler on the track team and also played football under legendary Coach Frank Leahy. His lifelong commitment to teaching, health, and fitness was demonstrated when coaching track, football, and basketball in McComb, Flint, Michigan and Roswell, New Mexico. He earned a Master's degree from the University of Mississippi in 1950 and a doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1961, both in Physical Education. While at the University of Michigan he was hired by Sargent Shriver as a consultant with the nascent Peace Corps. Four of his children later served as Peace Corps volunteers, inspired by his service.
Dr. McDavid was a lifelong innovator and teacher. In 1967 he founded the exercise physiology lab at Indiana State University testing athletes including Larry Bird, and in 1968 patented the first injury preventive knee guard. From 1968 to 1980 the product was marketed, manufactured and sold from the McDavid family home in Terre Haute. In 1980 Robert Finley McDavid III ("Finn" or "Bob") assumed control of the company. McDavidUSA became one of the world's leading companies in the field of exercise and fitness support. Countless knee injuries have been prevented as a result of these contributions. Dr. McDavid was a highly respected ISU professor of kinesiology and exercise physiology and was a student favorite. With his trademark sense of humor and quick wit, he encouraged his students to think critically and creatively challenge the status quo. He continually mentored and guided his students' careers, from high school coaching to the heights of professional sports. He practiced what he taught, and could be seen jogging and lifting weights decades before these activities were common. He loved playing the game of golf and was a regular at Rea Park's scrambles and hunts in Terre Haute.
He championed civil rights throughout his life. While teaching at the University of Southern Mississippi in the early 1960s he challenged the President and fought to integrate the university. During his service as a Captain in the Mississippi National Guard he integrated his artillery battery, at professional costs.
Although he sometimes referred to himself as a country boy, he was an avid world traveler, visiting family and friends in Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. He cherished a gift from his children on the occasion of his and his wife's 50th wedding anniversary when the couple visited Ireland, the home of their ancestors in counties Sligo and Mayo.
In recent years, Dr. McDavid celebrated many happy family events. He and his family hosted a 90th birthday celebration in 2015 in Terre Haute, filled with dancing and stories from friends and family far and wide. He delighted in the many achievements of his children and grandchildren. In 2016, he became a first-time great-grandfather. He was a member of St. Benedict's Catholic Church, a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and member of the National Association for the Advancement Colored People.
Visitation is scheduled from 4:00-8:00 PM, Friday, June 22, 2018 at Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home, 605 South 25th Street, with a Rosary to be recited at 7:30 PM. A Requiem Funeral Mass will take place at 1:00 PM, Saturday, June 23 in St. Benedict Catholic Church, 111 South 9th Street, with Father Martin Day, OFM Conv. officiating. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery. The McDavid Family invites you to join them for a celebration of the life of Dr. McDavid at the Holiday Inn of Terre Haute on Saturday, June 23, from 5:30 - 8:30 pm.
In lieu of flowers the family of Dr. McDavid kindly suggests that memorial contributions be made to Catholic Charities of Terre Haute, 1801 Poplar Street, Terre Haute, Indiana 47803. Funeral information and memorial tributes may be found at www.callahanandhughes.com .

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Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Friday, June 22, 2018

4:00 - 8:00 pm (Eastern time)

Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home

605 South 25th Street, Terre Haute, IN 47803

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Mass of Christian Burial

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Starts at 1:00 pm (Eastern time)

St. Benedict Catholic Church

111 South 9th Street, Terre Haute, IN 47807