Many were moved to tears as they recalled their own fond memories of Evelyn Davis and her presence in the costume shop. A memorial service was held for Davis, a former costumer for the UT Theatre Department for almost 20 years, Friday evening.
As a theatre major interested in costume design and employee of the university costume shop, it was my honor to be able to learn about Davis' legacy through the costumes she left behind and the people who loved her most.
The evening began in the lobby of the Center for Performing Arts. Colleagues, friends and some of the founders of our theatre department reunited over drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Attendees were then directed into the Recital Hall where the memorial service opened with a song sung a cappella by current theatre student, Terri Mims.
Donna Duvall, Davis' daughter, also offered an endearing recollection of her mother's life. Davis' life was marked by extreme hardships early on, including poverty and the deaths of many of her family members. Despite this, Davis is remembered as being very loving and always of good cheer. In fact, Duvall said Davis often housed theatre students until they could earn enough money to move out on their own.
When the theatre department was still in its early years, the need for a resident costumer became apparent. Davis' daughter was a secretary for the university at the time and she suggested her mother for the job. Davis was never academically trained in costume construction.
Everything she knew was from sewing clothes for her family and making former UT costume designer Bill Smith's complicated sketches into reality.
"Anything Ev didn't know, she learned," Smith said.
The service was punctuated by inspiring songs from Sylvia Carter, a former student who worked in the costume shop under Davis. Carter's performances were uplifting despite an illness that she said severely damaged her voice.
Many of Davis' costumes have fallen into disrepair after being reused countless times over the years.
Some of them survived the past 40 years, however, and a few were put on display during the memorial. The craftsmanship of Davis' costumes is a thing of legend.
Smith continues to rave about one particular costume, a gray silk chiffon and lace period dress he designed for a production of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya."
"What's amazing about this dress is that the skirt is all one piece of fabric and it was fitted through a series of extremely tiny pin-tucks," said Kaye Pope, current head of the costume shop. "This is extremely difficult to do, especially on silk chiffon."
Perhaps the most important thing expressed at the memorial was the immense love and appreciation that everyone felt for Davis.
She was described as being a caring, hard-working, non-judgmental, accepting person, as well as a sort of surrogate mother to everyone in the theatre department. It made me realize even in a behind-the-scenes position as a costumer where one's efforts are often overlooked, a positive attitude and diligent work ethic can make a world of difference to the people encountered on life's journey.
Evelyn Davis may never become a largely recognized household name, but to the people at UT that loved her, she meant the world.
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