David Hail Travis
(1931 - 2015)
A much beloved and long-time Ruidoso resident, Dave Travis lost his long struggle with Atypical Parkinson’s disease in December, 2015.
The only son of renowned Texas artists Olin Herman Travis and Kathryne Hail Travis, Dave spent his youth living in Alaska and traveling the West Coast before attending military school in California.
As a young man, he painted houses in Dallas and lived in the YMCA with a group of jazz musicians. Taking advantage of his rooftop access, he charged admission for jazz jams on the roof after the nightclubs closed. It was there that he met a friend’s date, Katharine Stryker, whom he married in 1960.
Dave soon moved his mother, wife, and small daughter to Ruidoso. Kathy Travis taught English, journalism, art, and photography at the Ruidoso High School until her retirement in 1988.
Dave was one of the builders of Ruidoso’s Adobe Plaza, carving the totem logo of the Artisans’ Shop and Gallery into the corner door. In the late sixties, Dave moved the gallery to 2342 Sudderth Dr. As the first gallery first in Ruidoso, the Artisan’s Shop developed a strong foundation for the arts by promoting both nationally acclaimed artists and local talent. From 1963 to 1985, the gallery was the only local source of art supplies, framing, and art workshops.
A founding member of the White Mountain Search and Rescue, Dave urged technical training and certification for search members. He was certified by various national and state agencies, including the US Department of Public Safety and the US Environmental Protection Agency in areas of hazardous materials emergency response, managing search operations, and national emergency location practices.
Dave was also a founding member of the Photographic Society of Lincoln County. Primarily interested in nature photography, he won numerous awards for his photographs. In later years, he traveled extensively throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Central America.
Known for his humor and large vocabulary, many remember Dave Travis for his story telling, his broad knowledge base, his amazing cooking, his even temperament, and his compassion for others.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Olin and Kathryne Travis; his sister, Jean Moncrief Patterson; his wife, Katharine Stryker Travis; and his daughter, Gayle Ann Travis. He is survived by his eldest daughter, Susan Lee Travis.
Gallery
This gallery of David Hail Travis images is available to the public. A separate photographic reference collection is available to Patreon subscribers for free use as artistic references.
