Mary Hayes Davis

Mary Hayes Davis
Bornc. 1884
West Virginia, U.S.
DiedMay 18, 1948 (aged 63–64)
Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.
Known forChinese Fables and Folk Stories
The Hendry County News
Dixie Crystal Theatre

Mary Hayes Davis (c. 1884 – May 18, 1948) was an American writer, a newspaper editor and publisher, and the owner of several movie theaters. She is best known as the co-author of Chinese Fables and Folk Stories, which she wrote with Reverend Chow Leung, while based in Chicago.[1][2] Published in 1908 and widely reprinted today, the compilation claimed to be “the first book of Chinese stories ever printed in English”.[3][2] Between 1908 and 1912, Davis collected Native American folk tales from the Pima and Apache tribes in Oklahoma and Arizona,[4][5] for a book she never completed. In the early 1920s, Davis moved to southwest Florida, where she published The Hendry County News,[6][7] and later owned and operated a chain of seven movie theaters.[6] In 1926, The Tampa Tribune called Davis "the heroine of LaBelle" for her courageous reporting of the lynching of Henry Patterson, despite threats of further mob violence.[8] In 1928, The Hendry County News received the Florida Newspaper Association award for Best Community News Service.[9] In 1998, the Dixie Crystal Theatre in Clewiston, which Davis had opened in 1941, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[10]

  1. ^ Wright, A. R. (December 30, 1909). "Review: Chinese Fables and Folk Stories by Mary Hayes Davis and Chow-Leung". Folklore. 20 (4): 518–519. JSTOR 1254458.
  2. ^ a b Davis, Mary Hayes; Chow Leung (1908). Chinese Fables and Folk Stories. New York: American Book Company. pp. 3, 5–6, 7–8 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "Book Reviews – Chinese Fables and Folk Stories". The Elementary School Teacher. 9 (5). January 1909. doi:10.1086/453833 – via The University of Chicago Press Journals.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b "Funerals". News Press. Fort Meyers, Florida. May 20, 1948. Retrieved March 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "The Hendry County News". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  8. ^ "The Heroine of LaBelle". The Tampa Tribune. p. 6. Retrieved March 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :18 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).