Wright honors WWII hero Davila with highway renaming

Raised in Watts, Medal of Honor recipient taught in Los Angeles schools for thirty years

GARDENA – Senator Roderick D. Wright (D-Inglewood) will join with school district representatives and community members on Friday, January 20, to dedicate a stretch of Highway 91 in honor of Rudolph B. Davila, a distinguished World War II veteran who spent 30 years as a teacher and counselor in the Los Angeles City School District.

Davila, who was born in Texas but grew up in Watts, distinguished himself in battle when he saved an American rifle company from a German ambush in Italy in WWII. 56 years later he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions by President Bill Clinton.

After a shrapnel wound to his shoulder ended Davila’s military service, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern California before becoming a teacher, serving Los Angeles schools for 30 years. He passed away in 2002, leaving behind five children, in addition to the thousands of children he taught and mentored over the years.

Wright authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 107 to rename the westbound portion of Highway 91 between Central Avenue and Figueroa Street in Carson the Rudolph B. Davila Memorial Freeway.

Participants in Friday’s dedication will hear from school officials and Edward J. Schlossman, a colleague and good friend of Mr. Davila who taught with him at Peary Middle School and pushed for and funded the highway signage in his honor.

The dedication ceremony will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 20, at Peary Middle School in Gardena, located at 1415 W. Gardena Blvd.

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WHO: Senator Roderick D. Wright (D-Inglewood)
Retired teacher Edward J. Schlossman
Dr. L.G. Garrett, Peary Middle School principal
LAUSD Superintendent Michael Romero

WHAT: Dedication of Highway 91 stretch in honor of Rudolph B. Davila, WWII vet and long-time LA teacher

WHEN: Friday, January 20, 2012; 8:00 a.m.

WHERE: Peary Middle School; 1415 W. Gardena Blvd., Gardena, CA 90247

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 17, 2012
CONTACT: Jennifer Hanson, 916-651-4025