Ed Davenport, a high school classmate, died on 9/11 this year. His family asked me to write this obituary, and later, to say a few words at his memorial service, which I was honored to do.
Edward E. Davenport, of Douglasville, the first Black student to graduate from Buckhead’s landmark public high school, North Fulton, died on Sept. 11 at age 72.
A retired mechanic for Delta Airlines, Davenport died suddenly at home after returning from Washington D.C. with his wife of eight years, Dina Ramos Davenport. They were in D.C. to have her Philippine citizenship restored (dual) when they immediately returned home because of his feeling weak.
Edward Earl Davenport, Sr., was born at Grady Memorial Hospital on July 11, 1951, the grandson of a prominent family in one of the last African-American neighborhoods to be pushed out of the Buckhead area in the mid-20th century. His ancestors are buried in the Historic Piney Grove Cemetery, an overlooked site between Canterbury Road and Georgia 400. He accepted Jesus as a young member of Pine Grove Missionary Baptist Church, the last building to fall in that small Black settlement, his family said.
Education drove Ed Davenport’s life. After attending Slater and Campbell Elementary public schools, he was at West Fulton High in 1966 when it had transitioned from a segregated white to a predominantly Black public school. His mother, Polly Mae Jones Davenport, troubled by turmoil at the school, asked for Ed to be transferred to North Fulton High, eight miles away. The principal suggested instead a traditionally Black public school, but his mother insisted on North Fulton, which was near the former Piney Grove neighborhood in the heart of Buckhead.
North Fulton, started in the 1930s, was one of the last all-white public schools in Atlanta, although one Black student, Jasper Austin, had enrolled in 1966 as an 8th grader. In 1967, Ed Davenport began driving a 1955 Chevrolet there as a junior, and graduated with the class of 1969.
He continued his education at Atlanta Area Technical School, where he was certified in electrical drafting and industrial engineering. He worked for Georgia Power as an engineer for 25 years and for Delta Airlines as a mechanic for 10 years. He also worked for two years in Kuwait and Afghanistan for ITT.
Davenport met Dina Ramos in Dubai in 2011 and they were married Oct. 14, 2014.
He enjoyed his life, his family said: fishing, attending Braves and Falcons games as a dedicated fan, and traveling with Dina. “Ed loved the city of Atlanta and its rich history,” his sister Dorothy Davenport said. “He was very proud of his great family history in the Buckhead Lenox area.”
His grandparents lived in that neighborhood for many years on West Road, which no longer exists. The road was named after his great-grandfather, Edgar B. West, who is buried, along with several great-uncles and great-aunts, in the wooded cemetery there.
Besides his wife, he leaves a daughter, Latricia Dishawn Davenport Greene (Jeffrey Sr.) of College Park; a son, Edward Earl Davenport, Jr. (Anissa) of Stone Mountain; a brother, Willie Frank Davenport, and three sisters, Theresa D. Merchant, Dorothy V. Davenport and Pamala D. Copeland (Jimmy), all of Atlanta. He also leaves nine grandchildren, Darius Devon Davenport, Jordan James Davenport, Alicia Brielle Davenport, Coryn Skye Davenport, Kimi Amara Davenport, Jasmine Janae Greene, Jeffery Scott Greene, Jr. (Nikki), Jada Sierra Greene, Jalen Scott Greene, and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a brother, Rodney James Davenport.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. at Alfonso Dawson Funeral Home, 3000 MLK Jr. Dr.
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