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04/05/2017 08:30 AMIf anyone looks at the list of Hugh Davis’s community activities over the years, it will be clear that he is an activist who enjoys being involved and giving back to his community.
Hugh’s roots in community involvement started in the 1970s. After earning his doctorate degree in American history from Ohio State University, he taught classes at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and eventually made his way to Southern Connecticut State University, where he taught for many years.
Very active in civil rights and race issues during the time, Hugh began working with the Hamden Human Relations Council to bring people of all races together to work toward equal rights.
Presently, Hugh is chairman of the North Haven Conservation Commission. He has been a member since 1987 and chair since 1988.
Other community groups in North Haven of which Hugh is currently a part include the Open Space Advisory Committee, Peter’s Rock Association, Clean Energy Task Force, and the trail association.
“As many people were, I was very influenced by the first Earth Day and the beginning of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970,” he said.
The Conservation Commission aims to work with town officials and residents to make the town more environmentally friendly. Some of the things the commission does include assisting in the preservation and protection of open space and monitoring the town’s Integrated Pest Management policy, which the commission developed several years ago.
“My view—it’s an old saying—[is] ‘Think globally and act locally,’” said Hugh,
One of the ways people in North Haven can act locally is with the Earth Day event the Conservation Commission is sponsoring on Saturday, April 8 at the North Haven High School. Hugh said there will be a scavenger hunt for kids, T-shirts will be given out to kids who participate, and about 40 state and local environmental groups will be there with handouts and information.
“I’ve felt over my adult years that you give to the community what you can and try to make the world a better place,” he said.
This year marks the ninth Earth Day event the commission has sponsored. Hugh said that the event is a way to show town residents what environmental groups locally and in surrounding regions are doing to protect the environment.
He hopes that the event will help to spread awareness about environmental issues and how they can impact everyone’s way of life, saying that now is a crucial time to spread the message.
“Climate change is real, and we need to address it,” he said.
One thing that makes Hugh very happy is the community involvement and support for these environmental issues. He said the Project Green, an environmental group comprised of North Haven High School students, is very involved with this event, as well as with other organizations such as the Clean Energy Task Force.
Hugh also commended First Selectman Michael Freda, saying that he has been extremely supportive of local environmental groups, and that has helped make North Haven one of the top five greenest communities in Connecticut.
Hugh also wants to highlight the efforts of other organizations in the town that are working on renewable energy solutions and acquiring open space that town residents can enjoy. He said that the trail association is working on creating trails around the Quinnipiac River.
There is some resistance to those ideas, but Hugh said that good progress has been made and he’s happy to see things moving ahead.
“There has been so much progress made over the last 40 years,” he said, “We just can’t turn the clock back.”
In addition to his community activism, Hugh said he has really enjoyed his career, which included researching, writing, and teaching. Now retired from Southern, he did say there is one aspect about teaching that he won’t miss.
“I miss the students, but not the grading,” he says.
Now that he’s not researching archives or grading papers, Hugh has other things he wants to do with the additional time.
“I have too many grandchildren that I want to spend time with,” he says.
North Haven celebrates Earth Day on Saturday, April 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Haven High School, 221 Elm Street. The event features demonstrations, a scavenger hunt, give-aways, animals, and food trucks. The event is free and sponsored by the North Haven Conservation Commission. For more information, contact rgboltz2@aol.com.