~ A long history of excellence ~

Est. 1891

MARION HIGH

SCHOOL

MHS – 2013

Joseph Davis, M.D.MHS Class of 1935

Medical innovator

Supporter of the arts

World War II veteran

Joseph Davis was born in Marion on April 2, 1917, the day the U.S. entered World War I. His family has been prominent in the medical field and the arts in Marion for generations.

The entry for Joseph Davis in the 1935 Cactus reads:

“A red-haired senior that holds us speechless. Senior Class President, Varsity Tennis, Track,

Basketball, DAR History Contest, ‘M’ Club, Booster

Committee, Science Club, Debate, Consul and Proconsul of Latin Club, Orchestra (Cello),

National Champion String Ensemble, Survey and Cactus staff.”

He was also voted “Most Enthusiastic Senior.”

Prior to returning to Marion to practice medicine, he served in the U.S.Navy during World War II on the hospital ship the USS Solace, caring for wounded Marines and soldiers at the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He earned to battle stars for his service.

Joseph Davis

and his father,

Merrill, on the

campus of IU.

Joseph Davis and friends on

Okinawa during World War II.

Joseph Davis was the third generation of his family to practice medicine in Marion, following in the footsteps of his grandfather George, his great-uncle Sam, and his father, Merrill.

Joseph Davis as an

intern at Philadelphia

General Hospital in

the 1940s.

The innovationat the Davis Clinic, founded by Joseph and his father, Merrill, and his brother, Richard, was to house numerous specialists in one facility for patients’ convenience as well as to provide a stimulating professional environment for the physicians. The clinic was located at 131 N. Washington St.

Photos of the physicians

and staff of the Davis Clinic

in the 1950s.

Woodside, the Frank Lloyd Wright home on Overlook Road, commissioned by Richard and Elaine Davis.

Merrill and Josephine Davis’s stark Art Deco Rostone home on Euclid Avenue.

Joseph and Richard Davis play tennis on courts where

Marion General Hospital’s west wing now stand.

Josephine Davis stands outside the Meshingomesia Country Club, where the pool is today.

Dr. Davis also co-founded AmbucareClinic, the first walk-in medical clinic in Indiana. The clinic is still open today, purchased by Marion General Hospital in 2013 and renamed MGH Work Solutions.

Dr. Davis and his wife, Margaret (Hooper), and their two children, Chad and Tracy.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree and doctor of medicine degree from Indiana University.

Stephen E. MooreheadMHS Class of 1957

Telecommunications industry innovator

Philanthropist

Mr. Mooreheadbought the family company, MooreheadElectric, and took it in a new direction during the changing telecommunications regulatory landscape of the 1980s, transforming it into MooreheadCommunications.

The company activatedits first mobile phone in 1990, and is now thelargest Verizon Wirelessretailer in the U.S. (known as The Cellular Connection), and is now run by his son Scott.

Mr. Moorehead also helped create what is now the Community Foundation of Grant County, and the Moorehead Family Foundation now serves as the central focal point ofthe family’s ongoing commitment to charitable giving and philanthropy.

Education:

Degree from Purdue University.

Richard PersingerMHS Class of 1957

Longtime teacher, coach, and principal at MHS

Marion City Council member

Dick Persinger was well known as an athlete even before he got to MHS. He excelled in many sports for the Giants, but baseball was his game at Indiana University.

Coach Persinger (seen here in 1967) led the MHS baseball team to its first state finals appearance in 1968.

He also was assistant coach of the Giants boys basketball team in back-to-back state finals appearances, 1968 and 1969. (Head coach was Jack Colescott.)

Education:

Bachelor’s in education from Indiana University.

Dick Persinger was named Marion High School dean of boys in 1970, and then in 1976 was named principal.

He retired as principal after 10 years, having had a tremendous positive impact in the lives of thousands of young Giants.

Gregory TaylorMHS Class of 1988

State senator

Prominent lawyer

Finance/economic development expert

Sen. Greg Taylor was sworn into office in 2008, representing District 33, northwest Marion County.

(Also pictured: Sen. Taylor’s wife, Danielle, and three children, Jackson, Savannah, and Estella; and Indiana Supreme Court Justice Brent Dickson, who administered the oath of office.)

Sen. Taylor recently welcomed MHS seniors on the Mayor’s Graduation Team to the Statehouse.

He is also senior counselat Indianapolis law firmGonzalez Saggio & Harlan.

He previously worked for the Indiana Department of Commerce, Business Development Division.

Education:

Sen. Taylor was a first-generation college student who earned his bachelor of science and his doctor of jurisprudence degrees from Indiana University.