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6 <br /> Also, in the 1960's, Mrs. Davis worked with three families to participate in an Extension <br /> Housing Demonstration program using Extension house plans to build an affordable house, and <br /> working with Farmer's Home Administration to finance the homes. This enabled Black families <br /> with limited resources to enjoy home ownership, and they and their families still live in the <br /> homes today. What an amazing accomplishment for affordable housing in the 1960's! <br /> During her long career, Mrs. Davis taught educational programs for the public in home <br /> finances to help families learn to make wise decisions, taught workshops on energy conservation <br /> and repairs they could make to make their homes more efficient,taught them to refurbish items <br /> they had such as furniture, old trunks, make draperies, and many other skills to save money and <br /> make their living environment better with limited funds. She taught canning and food <br /> preservation workshops to learn how to safely preserve the foods that they could grow in their <br /> gardens. This was done years ago, long before the current trend to learn these skills! She taught <br /> foods and nutrition classes to help families learn how to prepare nutritious foods. She also gave <br /> leadership for many years to the Expanded Foods and Nutrition Program (EFNEP),which used <br /> paraprofessionals to visit homes of limited resource families with small children to teach them <br /> how to feed their children on a limited budget. For many years, she taught a weight-loss, <br /> program called NoonLiting to help adults learn how to eat a healthy and balanced diet and to <br /> exercise. Many people lost weight as a result of the class, and many were able to decrease <br /> medication that they had been taking for health issues. <br /> During her career,Mrs. Davis received the Distinguished Service Award, and the <br /> Continued Excellence Award, two of the highest national awards given by the National <br /> Association of Extension Home Economists, which was her professional association. Mrs. <br /> Davis's contributions were not limited to her work with Extension, nor did they cease when she <br /> retired from the organization in 1990. She was always an advocate for literacy, and served on <br /> the Literacy Council. She was a founding member of the Friends of Department of Social <br /> Services. She was an active member of her church and served on many committees. She was a <br /> life long active member of Delta Sigma Theta and the Links,Inc. She has served as a role model <br /> for many youth and adults throughout her life. <br /> I cannot think of another individual who is more deserving of having this building named <br /> in her honor. Mrs. Davis touched the lives of so many people during her life in Orange County, <br /> and she was always a diplomatic presence whatever the circumstances. She continued to support <br /> Cooperative Extension programs until her death. If you have any questions, please feel free to <br /> contact me at alice_pettitt@ncsu.edu. <br /> Respectfully, <br /> (..&c dl <br /> Alice L. Pettitt <br /> Orange County Extension Agent, 1987-2008 <br /> Field Faculty Emeritus <br /> NC Cooperative Extension Service <br /> North Carolina State University <br />