Article by: Lena Miano of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The gym at Dr. Marian G. Lacey K-8 Academy has been renamed in honor of longtime Little Rock School District coach and teacher, Marcus Davis.
A product of the district himself, Davis went on to coach basketball, volleyball, and track and field while teaching physical and health education for a total of 36 years -- 33 of which were spent at the former Cloverdale Middle School.
In 2022, the Cloverdale gym was named in Davis' honor, and with the school closing at the end of the 2023-24 school year and most of its students becoming Lacey Academy students, "it is both appropriate and meaningful to continue honoring" Davis' legacy in a "permanent and prominent way," a resolution adopted by the Little Rock School Board on Thursday evening said.
"It's an honor and a privilege to present this resolution to the Little Rock School District and the Little Rock community in southwest Little Rock," said school board member Osyrus Bolly, who sponsored the resolution on Thursday and championed its importance for months prior.
"I'm just grateful and thankful to have this opportunity just to be here," Davis told the board, noting his appreciation for the board's unanimous motion to approve the resolution. "It's been some time coming, but I'm so glad that I'm alive to see it."
The renaming of the gym serves as a "lasting tribute to a legendary LRSD (Little Rock School District) graduate, educator, mentor, and community builder whose life's work exemplified hard work, compassion and an unshakable belief in the potential of every student," the school board's resolution states.
A renaming ceremony and celebration of Davis will also be held in the future, according to the School Board.