Published on July 25, 2025 by Zac Fuller  
Davidson yearbook photo 002
In the spring, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ received a $13 million gift from the estate of Julius W. “David” Davidson ’58, the second-largest single estate gift in the university’s history.

 Davidson was a member of the first graduating class from ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ’s Homewood campus. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in biology, Davidson went on to have a successful career helping countless people in medicine.

 Davidson was a renowned eye surgeon at Callahan Eye Foundation, now known as UAB Callahan Eye. He died in March 2024 at the age of 86.

As a student at ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ, Davidson was an active member of the student body, serving as president during his senior year. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society member.

In a 2007 edition of Seasons magazine, Davidson reflected on one of his favorite ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ memories—when he had the opportunity to carry the campus flagpole from the former East Lake campus to Lakeshore Drive.

“¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ was formative in David’s life. It was not just a school he went to. It taught him how to think and values he held throughout his career of helping others,” said Gary Fenton, a recently retired development officer who befriended Davidson over the last five years.

When donors, like Davidson, establish estate or planned gifts, they become members of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ’s 1841 Society, which recognizes and celebrates donors who share a common bond of philanthropy, a love of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ and the vision to provide for future generations of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ students. “It’s a true picture of planting seeds that will sustain ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ’s future,” said Bo Kerr, assistant vice president for university advancement.

This story was first published in the summer 2025 issue of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Magazine (formerly known as Seasons). You can read the issue .

 
¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.