Michael Davis' death: A story still to be written

Feb. 12, 2009

Dear Leslie,

Since his death 15 years ago, the local university annually has presented a lecture to observe the tragedy that took the life of journalism student Michael Davis. Davis died after members of the fraternity he hoped to join beat him and other initiates in a hazing ritual. Davis told people he wanted to join the fraternity because he heard it could help him later in life.

He worked for the Arrow, the campus newspaper I now advise. At Wednesday's lecture, three people who were on the newspaper staff at the time spoke about his death and how they handled it as friends and journalists.

Tamara Zellars Buck, who became the editor of the paper the year after Davis' death, is now on the journalism faculty at the university. She saw these events from the perspective of a journalism student who also is black. Zellars Buck said some people thought the heavy news coverage of the death and subsequent trials was biased because Davis was black and the fraternity he was being initiated into was black.

Oprah Winfrey devoted a program to Davis' death, interviewing his mother, sister and one of the students who admitted beating Davis. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and all the St. Louis media came to town.

Most of the residual anger on the stage belonged to Josh Barsch, who became the newspaper's editor two years after Davis died. Barsch questioned whether the trials of those who pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter and hazing charges were too speedy and whether the guilty were adequately punished. The story of Michael Davis' death, he told the journalism students in the audience, is still to be written.

Robb Blackwell, who is no relation to me, was the editor when Davis was killed. He said a St. Louis broadcaster falsely reported Davis had been assigned by the Arrow to do a story about hazing from the inside. The death was announced to the newspaper staff on the evening they were putting out the next edition. To Blackwell there was no question that Michael Davis would have wanted them to go ahead and get out the paper. Journalists soldier on. Maybe soldiering on gets at the problem.

Davis' sister has said her brother wanted to prove something to himself. Many males his age think they must prove themselves to be men, but the ability to endure psychological and physical abuse or to mete them out is no proof at all. Hazing is another word for torture.

About midnight on Valentine's Day 15 years ago, in a field near the track on campus, fraternity members pummeled, kicked and body-slammed Davis and the other initiates. He died the next day.

After Davis' death the state strengthened its anti-hazing laws so that now almost any hazing is a felony. The university also tightened its anti-hazing code. At least his death may have spared others from his fate.

Maybe Michael Davis died from trusting his "friends." In a small red notebook found on his body, Davis had written, "Hazing is the physical conditioning of the mind." Journalists don't believe everything they write in their notebooks.

Love, Sam

Sam Blackwell is a former reporter for the Southeast Missourian.