Hartford Montgomery Davis ’61

Monty Davis, a key figure in the growth of professional theater in Milwaukee, died in his sleep May 20, 2007, following a stroke.

Born in New York City, Monty came to Princeton from Mercersburg Academy. At Princeton he majored in English, was a member of Woodrow Wilson Lodge, and was involved in Theatre Intime and many other artistic endeavors. After two years in London at the Webber Douglas School of Dramatic Art, he embarked on an acting career in the United States and Canada. In the early 1970s he settled in Milwaukee, where he was a founder and artistic director of the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. He directed more than 80 productions at the theater.

He was a committed Christian Scientist. “The two things most important to Monty were his church and the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. He felt that if he could bring great theater to you, it would make you a better person,” observed a longtime colleague in one of the many newspaper articles on his career and death.

Monty had no immediate survivors, but we received articles about him and obituaries from numerous classmates and other Princetonians — a reflection of his influence on others. We will miss him.