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Sylvia Nemer Davidson ’47

February 22, 2023, in Portland.

A civic leader and social policy advocate, Sylvia Nemer Davidson spent much of her life in service to her community and causes she cared about.

During World War II, Sylvia joined the women’s branch of the United States Naval Reserve, better known as WAVES. “All the young men were off getting killed and I felt I should do something,” she told the Portland Downtowner in 1993. Sylvia was assigned to run the public relations department and the station newspaper at Hunter College in New York City. Having spent the prior two years running the Reed College news bureau and working as a student stringer for the Oregonian, she found the position a natural fit, and Sylvia embraced the opportunity to dive into wartime stories. She interviewed wounded veterans and reported on the UN and women in the military. She recalled that time as one of profound growth: “I was working with wonderful, intelligent women.”

After the war, Sylvia attended Stanford University on the GI Bill, then returned to her hometown of Portland and Reed College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in general literature. She wrote her thesis “The Moral Problem in the Novels of Arthur Koestler,” with Prof. Donald MacRae advising.

Sylvia knew little about health care policy when she was first asked to join a committee. But over 20 years of work, she developed a deep understanding and conviction for critical issues surrounding access to health care. She served on numerous committees and agencies, both local and national, including the American Health Planning Association and the Oregon Health Council. While serving on the National Health Planning and Development Commission under the Carter administration, Sylvia informed policy makers on the major shortcomings of rural health care.  “[We] showed providers that most uninsured are the working poor,” she said.

Sylvia was a committed member of the Democratic Party, serving as coordinator for the John F. Kennedy presidential campaign primary and working on numerous local campaigns. Sylvia’s second husband, C. Girard “Jebby” Davidson, was a former assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of the Interior in the Truman administration.

In 2009, Sylvia donated Sol LeWitt’s Torn Paper Drawing (1975) to Reed College.

Sylvia’s devotion and work on various causes has been recognized by the Oregon Jewish Welfare Fund, the Harry S. Truman Freedom Bell Award, the Forrest E. Rieke Achievement Award in Community Health Planning, and the March of Dimes Community Service Award.

Sylvia was preceded in death by her husband of 30 years, C. Girard Davidson, who died in 1996, after 29 years of marriage. Her first husband, Norman Nemer, died in 1964. Her deceased parents were Marie (Murph) and Joe Schnitzer. She is survived by her two sons, Jerry Nemer and Philip Nemer, and by six stepchildren.

Appeared in Reed magazine: Fall 2023

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