Classmates
Wilbur (Pete) Davidson
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IN MEMORY - November 20, 2021

After graduation in 1960, like so many of our classmates, I attended The College of William and Mary, where I earned a degree in History.

I was honored with an exchange scholarship to the University of Exeter in Exeter, Devon, England, where I did post-graduate work in English literature. During the course breaks, I traveled throughout Europe on a Eurailpass, one of the great travel innovations in its day.

Upon returning in 1965, I went the the Law School at the University of Virginia, from which I graduated in 1968 after three years of relentless toil, and I passed the Virginia State Bar.

I worked in the national headquarters of one of the Presidential campaigns, and with victory I worked briefly in the White House in the executive recruitment section.

In early 1969, I joined the Post Office Department in the Office of Congressional Liaison where I worked with the team whose objective was passage of postal reform legislation, which occurred in 1971. After that I moved up in various executive positions, until I became Director of the Office of the Consumer and Philatelic Marketing. I was responsible, inter alia, for all matters pertaining to postage stamps, including selection of subjects and designs, manufacture and distribution, public information and ceremonies, marketing and mail order service. After that I headed the Office of Olympic Marketing for the Olympic Games in Alberville and Barcelona, for which the USPS was an Official Olympic Sponsor and subsequently the Office of Licensing to leverage the Postal Service's copyrights and trademarks.

In 1993, I took an early retirement from the Postal Service, and only three months later, I moved from Arlington to Memphis, Tennessee, to work for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. as senior licensing manager responsible for international licensing and several large product categories domestically. The EPE Offices are located in the shadow of Graceland. Twelve years working for the King brought many fascinating experiences that introduced me to a world that I did not know existed.

In 2005, I took a second retirement and returned to Arlington.