explorers & ADVENTURES
Getting to Know One of
Davidson’s Own Historian and Author Ralph B. Levering BY » Elizabeth Watson Chaney PHOTOS COURTESY OF » Ralph Levering
One Town, Many Voices focused on providing an inclusive account of Davidson’s residents throughout the years.
12 LimitlessMagOnline.com | August 2020
Ralph Levering has always desired to communicate with others, whether through teaching or the written word. He came to Davidson with his family in 1986 after being offered a position teaching history at the college. By the time he retired in 2017, he had been awarded the title of Vail Professor, an endowed chair. One of his more popular courses was one on Vietnam, and he was diligent about seeking out speakers (both veterans as well as conscientious objectors). In a popular app known as “Rate My Professor,” more than one student referred to the class as “one of the best courses on campus.” Levering loved teaching and was known for caring deeply about his students, but the same can be said for his feelings about the town. “I’ve just loved living here. There’s real value,” he says,
“in a place small enough that people know their neighbors.” He and his wife, Patricia Webb Levering, raised two sons in Davidson. She passed away in 2019, but their marriage lasted more than 52 years. She was also a teacher and writer, as well as a nationally known speaker in the Quaker community. “Her life, friendships, and ministry,” wrote Levering of his wife, “were modeled after Dr. Martin Luther King’s Beloved Community.”
A faith-based journey
The two met in high school in Mount Airy, and faith was among the many things they had in common. She was raised in a Baptist church, and he is the son of orchard farmers, who were also Quaker peace activists. “They believed that ordinary people could make the world a better place,” says Levering. Those views inspired, at least in part,
