38
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
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November/December 2017
FROM THE ARCHIVES
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Story idea submitted by Rick Ramsey, retiree
Standing on the back porch, trees crowd the landscape
in every direction.
Looking out over East Twin Lake, you see the former Twin
Lakes Country Club, where past Davey presidents and
managers once met at the company's annual "conventions"
to discuss business in the early 1900s just north of Kent.
This is the view former Davey president Martin L. "Brub"
Davey, Jr., and many Davey employees once enjoyed during
the 1950s. Brub Davey built an expansive if modest-looking
house with his first wife, Elizabeth Breeding Speer, that
overlooked the lake and surrounding homes. Davey crews
helped prep and plant the property during construction.
For several years, the Daveys hosted a dinner at the house
on the night before the company's annual picnic at the nearby
Davey Picnic Grounds. Employees with 30 years of service
or more were invited to dine with the company president.
The 16-acre property stayed in the Davey family for years
until the Myers family eventually bought it. Joseph T. Myers,
who was married to Paul Davey's daughter, Marilyn, served
as president of the Davey Company from 1972 to 1976.
The house stayed in the Myers' family until 2013.
In November 2016, Davey crews from the Akron R/C office
conducted several tree removals and performed other
landscape care there, as the new owners are conducting
an extensive renovation both inside and out – and wisely
chose Davey to care for their new home, its landscape
and its ties to the Davey family.
Top right: Martin L. Davey, Jr., and his wife, Elizabeth, welcome
Davey employees and their families for a dinner at the couple's
home before the annual Davey Company picnic in 1954.
Middle: The house includes bricks used in the fireplace that
were removed from the White House when President Harry
Truman renovated it from 1948 to 1952.
Right: The crane operator, foreman Joe Hashman, was involved
in early tree plantings at the property.
The view former Davey president Martin L. Davey, Jr., and many
Davey employees once enjoyed from his backyard of East Twin Lake.
