Baptist social worker Anne Davis dies at 69

WACO, Texas — Anne Davis, the renowned Baptist social worker, died Nov. 9. She was 69.

Born in Baskerville, Va., Davis earned degrees from Averett College, Westhampton College at the University of Richmond, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville. She became the executive director of the Baptist Community Center in Lexington, Ky.

Later Davis joined the faculty at Southern Seminary, where she served as a professor of social work, director of social work and director of professional studies in the school of religious education.

At Southern, Davis led the school of social work to become the first nonuniversity to be accredited for the master of social work degree. She retired in 1995 and moved to Waco, Texas, in 1998. Near the end of her life, she became the director of operations at the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children.

Baylor University recognized her contributions to academics and ministry with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.