After service in the United States Air Force, Frank Davis pursued a BS in electrical engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. He then worked at IBM and received a MS in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Davis co-founded the Durham Striders Youth Association (DSYA) in 1977 with Herman Graham and Ralph Bullock. Dr. Brenda Armstrong became involved with the DSYA, meeting Davis through her godfather, Russell Blunt. Armstrong, Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Dean of Admissions for the Duke University School of Medicine, and, among other roles, Vice President of the DSYA, and Davis, Co-Founder of the DSYA, worked together for 37 years. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on February 18, 2024 by Ava Meigs as part of the Bass Connections Agents of Change Oral History Project. In the interview, Davis explores the mission and work of the DSYA; Armstrong's extensive involvement with the DSYA as a coach, team physician, board member, and fundraiser; notable alumni of the DSYA; and the organization's relationship with Duke. This interview primarily focuses on Armstrong as a pivotal figure in the founding and work of the DSYA. The themes of this interview include community activism, academic and athletic excellence, physical health, and expanding access to health care.
Dr. Samuel L. Katz is the Wilburt Cornell Davison Professor and Chairman Emeritus of Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center. This collections contains 2 oral history interviews conducted at separate times. Interviews were conducted on May 10, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry and October 23, 2009 by Jake Sganga and Breann Tisano. In the 2007 interview, Katz discusses his career at Duke; his work pertaining to vaccines; and women in the field of pediatrics, including specific women in Duke's Department of Pediatrics under his tenure. In the 2009 interview, Katz discusses his medical career, his early involvement with creating the measles vaccine that structured his career around pediatric vaccinations, and his advocacy for vaccine public policy.