Kenneth Davidson

PRESENTED BY DOROTHY HANN:

I am honored to be asked to speak about the late Ken Davidson. I feel blessed to have known him so well.      Badminton has never has a more influential, outstanding ambassador than Ken! He promoted badminton wherever and whenever he could. Way back in the late l930's...when few people even knew what the game was about, Ken began his "crusade" to enlighten the world about the joys and challenges of playing badminton. Of international stature, he was known throughout the athletic world. Just to mention a few of Ken's honors...he played a command performance for the Queen and King of England in 1939. He also played the London Palladium. In the 1940's, he played Radio City Music Hall, and Rockefeller Center for five years ( two months at a time). Around 1944-1945 he became a regular in Ken Murray's "Blackouts." A man of many talents, he authored the basic badminton text----Winning Badminton. He also made several short films, one of which was titled, "Flying Feathers." Ken Davidson was tireless in his efforts to promote badminton. He traveled across the U.S.A. many times, giving of his talent by conducting clinics and presenting exhibitions for RSL Shuttles and Sportscraft, a retail sports equipment company. He was outstanding as "Coach" of the Thomas Cup Team of 1952. But what about Ken Davidson the man? He was a superb sportsman in every sense of the word. His philosophy was not just to win, but to participate in the game and know you did your very best. Ken was a delight to watch on the court, light of foot, beautiful footwork, never off balance and a keen sense of strategy. Ken was a natural born clown. For instance, we might be standing on a corner, waiting for a signal to change. Suddenly Ken would stumble off the curb and act all punchy-much to his wife Connie's embarrassment. Sometimes he would walk along a curb and step one-foot in the gutter and ask for help; his one leg had suddenly gotten shorter. I can recall his telling us, gleefully, when as a teenager home from school for Christmas, he and his cousin decided to help decorate the traditional "truffle" dessert. The whipped cream was always decorated with candies. He and his cousin sprinkled little silver Ex-Lax balls around on the truffle. He never did tell us about the results. Let me close by saying, "Ken was a joy to watch, a joy to hear, and a joy to know! Ken was named the 1955 U.S.A. Thomas Cup Coach, but was tragically killed in a plane crash in Scotland on a badminton tour. In 1955, the family of Ken Davidson established the USA Badminton "Kenneth R. Davidson Memorial Award" which is presented annually to a male and female adult player who best represents Ken's legacy of sportsmanship, integrity and competitive spirit.