Leonard Davids (March 19, 1926February 10, 2002), known as Bob Davids or L. Robert Davids, was an American baseball researcher and writer and the founder of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research. He wrote numerous freelance articles on baseball for '' The Sporting News'' between 1951 and 1965. When ''TSN'' cut its baseball coverage, Davids began his own short-lived baseball publication, ''Baseball Briefs''. He contributed baseball fact boxes to several newspapers, including '' The Washington Post'' and '' Chicago Sun-Times''. In 1971, Davids identified approximately 35 others with similar interests in baseball statistics and history – he called them "stathistorians" – and invited them to meet in

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Sixteen attended the meeting, and agreed to the formation of SABR. Davids was elected the group's first president, an office he held on two other occasions. He also served two 5-year terms on SABR's board of directors, and was actively involved in producing many of the organization's early publications. Davids was also active in SABR's first regional chapter, based in Baltimore and Washington, which was named in his honor.

Personal

Born in Kanawha, Iowa, Davids moved to San Diego during World War II where he worked in an aircraft factory. He later enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served two years, including a tour as a B-24

nose gunner A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes thr ...

in the Pacific. After leaving the military, he attended the University of Missouri where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Masters in History. He subsequently earned a Ph.D. from Georgetown University in International relations. In 1951 Davids began a 30-year career in federal service, mainly working the field of public information for agencies including the Departments of

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

and Energy, the Atomic Energy Commission, and several members of Congress. During that period, he also contributed numerous articles on Congressional history to '' Roll Call'', a newspaper covering

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

. Davids was married to the former Yvonne Revier, and had one daughter. He died as the result of cancer at age 75 in Washington, D.C., and was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

External links

SABR Bob Davids Chapter: Mid-Atlantic Region
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davids, Bob 1926 births 2002 deaths People from Hancock County, Iowa United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II University of Missouri alumni Georgetown University alumni American sportswriters Baseball writers Deaths from bladder cancer Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Deaths from cancer in Washington, D.C. United States Army Air Forces officers Military personnel from Iowa