By Frank Onderka
Freddie Davis will receive the Gardena Valley Lion’s Community Award Feb. 25 during the 35th Community Recognition Luncheon, starting at 11:30 a.m. with a social hour at the El Pollo Inka Restaurant, 1425 W. Artesia Blvd., Gardena. Lunch begins at 12:30 p.m.
The occasion also marks the 100th anniversary of the International Lions clubs. Cost is $35 per person and RSVP by Feb. 20. Call GV Lion Club President Steve Sherman, 310-323-7469.
By Frank Onderka
Freddie Davis will receive the Gardena Valley Lion’s Community Award Feb. 25 during the 35th Community Recognition Luncheon, starting at 11:30 a.m. with a social hour at the El Pollo Inka Restaurant, 1425 W. Artesia Blvd., Gardena. Lunch begins at 12:30 p.m.
The occasion also marks the 100th anniversary of the International Lions clubs. Cost is $35 per person and RSVP by Feb. 20. Call GV Lion Club President Steve Sherman, 310-323-7469.
Davis was born in 1957 in Los Angeles at Kaiser Hospital on Sunset Boulevard. His family moved to Gardena in 1967 and he has lived here ever since. He attended Purche Ave Elementary, Peary Junior High, and Gardena High School. He ran track and cross country for Gardena High. He then attended Harbor College and Long Beach State University, majoring in Political Science.
After a short stint working for US Steel in Torrance he was hired by AT&T in 1980. He started his career as an outside Service Tech until he was promoted to management in 1989. He has worked field operations over the years in South and Central Los Angeles, Gardena, Huntington Park, Pasadena, East Los Angeles, Glendale, and now El Segundo.
Davis comes from a Masonic Family: his father, mother, brother, and sisters were all masons. He joined Gardena DeMolay in 1971 and served as Master Councilor in 1974. He served as an Adult Advisor for DeMolay from 1979 to 1994. He joined Gardena Masonic Lodge in 1979 and served as Master of the Lodge in 1991.
In 1992, he received the Hiram Award for Service from the Lodge. He served as an Inspector for the Masonic Grand Lodge of California from 1994 to 2003 and again from 2006 until 2014. He served as the Junior Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge of California in 2005-2006. He has been a member of the Masons4mitts Program since 2015, where funds are raised to provide baseball mitts to inner city kids in Los Angeles. He has raised over $22,000 to support this effort in partnership with the Dodgers RBI program. He is a Member of the Shrine and has actively supported the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Los Angeles.
Freddie was a Big Brother in Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles from 1994 to 2006, in which he was a Big Brother to two young men. He was on the Board of Managers of Serra High School from 2002 to 2005. He served on the Gardena Carson YMCA Board of Managers from 2001 until 2015, was Board Chairman in 2007-2008, and was their Volunteer of the Year in 2005. He was a Director of the Gardena Y Service Club from 2003 to 2016 and served as Treasurer from 2005 to 2016. He ran the Y Service Club Fireworks stand from 2001 to 2015. He was on the Board of Directors of the Gardena Chamber of Commerce from 2001 until 2006 and served as President of the Chamber from 2003 to 2006. He has volunteered at the USO at LAX since 2008 and works the Saturday 10 p.m. to Sunday 2 a.m. shift, helping our active and retired military members and their families.
Davis served on the City Economic Development Corporation and was a member of the Seniors Commission. He became involved with the Gardena Willows in 2006 and today is serving his 10th year as President of the Board of Directors of Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc. Currently, he is on the Board of Directors for Project SOY in Inglewood, which helps provide employment opportunities for young people.
Whenever time allows, he enjoys playing basketball, gardening, and fishing.
Freddie is married to Anita, they have two daughters Diane and Lori, and five grandchildren: Kelsie, Nicholas, Caleb, Lauren, and Jonathon.
