Dr. William Allen Davidson

William Allen Davidson, M.D. September 30, 1928 – April 7, 2015 Bill Davidson was an insightful man who endeared himself to others with his quiet strength and compassion. He was born in Upland, California and moved to Santa Barbara two years later when his father, Paul W. Davidson, was hired as a social studies teacher at Santa Barbara High School. Bill graduated from Santa Barbara High in 1946 and studied at the University of California, Berkeley where in 1950 he earned a B.A. in Zoology. He continued education at Claremont Graduate School, completing a general secondary teaching credential in 1951 before earning a master’s degree in Limnology at San Jose State University. He joined the U.S. Army from 1952-54 and was stationed at Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco. During this time Bill and his lifelong love Carol Hubbs were married in Palo Alto on June 7, 1953. Their marriage spanned nearly 62 years. Following military service Bill entered medical school at Stanford University, achieving his M.D. degree there in 1958 before moving to Los Angeles for internship and residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and West Los Angeles VA Hospital. In 1962, Bill achieved his longed-for goal of becoming a medical doctor. When asked why he had undertaken this difficult goal, he answered “I wanted to help people heal.” Bill moved his young family to Santa Barbara and began private practice in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He loved his work, and never tired of its many demands on his time and energy. From 1963 to 1973 Dr. Davidson served as Chief of Medicine at local hospitals including Santa Barbara County Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital, and Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. He was proud to have served on the team which started the first gastroenterology lab at Cottage Hospital. In 1985 Bill was invited to transition from private practice to become the first Director of Medical Affairs at Cottage Hospital, where he served until his retirement in 1995. Bill was passionate about not only his healing purpose but also teaching young medical residents. To that end, he played an instrumental role with other members of a talented team to improve a medical residency program and hospital administration practices at Cottage Hospital. Dr. Davidson was a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Gastroenterology. Additionally, he was a member of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American Academy of Medical Directors, among other professional organizations. Bill enjoyed a lifelong love of the outdoors. His family has many fond recollections of the backpacking, sailing, and skiing trips that he organized. For years he tended an avocado ranch in the Santa Barbara foothills where he loved horseback riding, working with irrigation equipment, and the like. He also journeyed across the Santa Ynez countryside on many occasions with the Rancheros Visitadores trail riding club. Survivors include his wife Carol of Santa Barbara and sister Virginia Cellars of Denver, CO; daughter Wendy Davidson of Porter Ranch, CA, son Grant Davidson (Shihua Wang) of Burlingame, CA, and son Todd Davidson (Paulette Watkins) of Bloomington, IN. His five grandchildren, Lauren and Gina Kosty, Alec, Erin, and Janette, carry treasured memories of many enjoyable and enlightening visits to see 'Nana and Grandpa' in Santa Barbara. Bill was predeceased by his parents Paul and Betty, and sister Junemarie Reynolds. Memorial services will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 305 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, on Sunday, May 3 at 2 pm. An award for outstanding residents in internal medicine has been established as a fitting memorial. In lieu of flowers, donations to this fund may be sent to the “Dr. William Davidson Memorial Award for Medical Excellence” at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, 400 West Pueblo St., Santa Barbara, 93105. The family extends its heartfelt gratitude to Drs. William Koonce, William Rajala, and all of Bill’s nurses and caregivers for their moral and medical support.

Dr. William Allen Davidson

September 30, 1928 - April 7, 2015