Daryl Malarry Davidson, PhD

Dr. Daryl Davidson, Departed from Academia

Daryl Malarry Davidson, PhD, of Athens, OH - formerly of 362 Liberty St., Sharon, Pa.; 93 W. Union St., Athens, Ohio - passed away at 1206 p.m. on the 30th day of June 2025, in Athens. He was 57.

Daryl was born on March 13, 1968, in Sharon, Pa. A 1986 honors graduate of Sharon High School, he received an associate' s degree in arts and humanities in 1996 and a bachelor of specialized studies degree in cinema studies in 1997, both from Ohio University. He went on to graduate from Hollins University twice as well: he earned a Master of Arts degree there in screenwriting and film studies in 2005 as well as a Master of Fine Arts in screenwriting in 2007. In 2020, he graduated from Ohio University's Individual Interdisciplinary Program with a PhD in screenwriting studies. His creative dissertation project is a semi-autobiographical "scriptment" - Joey Connor Larry Darrell: A Television/Streaming Series a Clef.

All his life, Daryl enjoyed watching, discussing, and reading and writing about motion pictures, particularly those of Hollywood from the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. Often told he reminded people of "gentle giant" actor Forest Whitaker, Daryl was selected to serve as a stand-in for Whitaker in 1990 when he came to Cincinnati to film A Rage in Harlem with Gregory Hines and Robin Givens. He was also offered a speaking part. However, Daryl had to decline because he was working full-time for the Cincinnati Post, and he had a full-time courseload at the University of Cincinnati. Later during 1990, though, Daryl did work as an extra in the feature film Little Man Tate and in the TV movie A Mom for Christmas.

Daryl was once a karaoke enthusiast, and he enjoyed listening to the prank phone calls of comedians Nephew Tommy, Jim Florentine, The Jerky Boys, Rickey Smiley, and Roy Wood, Jr. Daryl loved giving as presents DVDs of movies, even insisting that the recipients watch them "cold"; copies of The Random House Webster's Word Menu; Royal Dansk butter cookies; and Walker's shortbread.

Most recently, Daryl was self-employed as a writer, editor, and proofreader. During the summer of 2021, he distributed hundreds of business cards on and near the Ohio University campus. One July morning, Daryl received an email that read as follows:

"A few days ago, at Ohio U. I was walking with a friend, and you handed me your card. To me, it seemed like things had not been going in your favor recently. I wanted to check-in to see how you were doing. I'd love to hear your story and see how I can be of help. Keep fighting. Win the day. Look forward to hearing from you. -MJB"

Daryl did tell his story to Matthew J. Benson - a fellow Ohio University alumnus, the Forbes 30 Under 30 lister, and the founder and CEO of the esports company eFuse. Benson hired Daryl, who was never a sports fan, to edit one of eFuse's regular columns.

Daryl regularly served the Athens International Film+ Video Festival as a proofreader. He was formerly employed at Ohio University as a graduate assistant in the Graduate College, as a pedagogical assistant in the Department of Philosophy, as a graduate assistant in the Department of African American Studies, and as a tutor at the Center for Writing Excellence.

During his most recent enrollment at Ohio University, Daryl was a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society. The Athens campus circle of the latter organization selected him as Student Leader of the Year in 2019. He was also a copy editor for the campus Backdrop magazine. Daryl previously taught film studies and English Language Learning at other colleges.

As a young man, Daryl wrote feature stories, mostly on entertainment, for several newspapers, including the Sharon (Pa.) Herald, the Erie Daily Times, the Cincinnati Post, and the Cincinnati Call and Post. In 2009, 2010, and 2016, he received honorable mention in Writer's Digest magazine's annual competition, for screenwriting projects, including the racial sports farce that is now entitled Fool-Courting Press!, which Daryl co-wrote with Ian "Iggy" Cassman and longtime friend Marc J. Olson.

Daryl assisted educators and students alike with writing, proofreading, and editing. Scholar Robert Miklitsch acknowledges Daryl's assistance in three of his film noir books: I Died a Million Times: Gangster Noir in Mid-century America, The Red and the Black: American Film Noir in the 1950s, and the Edgar Allan Poe Award-nominated Kiss the Blood Off My Hands: On Classic Film Noir.

As a child, then known as "Daryl Bennett," he was baptized at First Baptist Church, Farrell, Pa. Throughout adulthood, Daryl possessed a quiet faith that was a source of courage and resilience whenever his path in life was not straight and smooth. Daryl's friendships were especially important in his life. He leaves to cherish his memory many special friends, including, but not limited to, the James and Lynn Petrik family, Athens; the Uchenna and Nneka Onuzulike family, Greenbelt, Md.; the Marc and Reina Olson family, Orange, Ca.; the Sharon Dean and Margaret Myers family, Evanston, Illinois; Gary and Suzi Pawlowski, Pickerington, Ohio; Charmlin Howard, Jr., Hamilton, Ohio; the Morgan and Natalie Homan family, Kingwood, Texas; the Spencer and Hailey Edwards family, Payson, Ariz.; and Daryl's "Pops," Luvier Barber, Sharon, Pa.

Daryl's surviving relatives include his sister, Deva Da'Neena Bernett Hamilton, and her husband Flynn, Jr.; their children, Flynn IV, Faith, and Autumn; Daryl's grand-nephew, Josiah; the family's dog, Spirit, all Stone Mountain, Ga.; two maternal cousins with whom Daryl was raised, Ryan Conyers, Pa., and Daniel Conyers, Texas; another special cousin, Damon Wallace, Youngstown, Ohio; Daryl's stepsister, the former Elizabeth Young and her sons, Dwayne Hawkins, Jr. and David Hawkins; Daryl's stepbrother, Rickey Young, and Rickey's son, Kodi; and a host of other relatives.

Daryl was preceded in death by his dearly beloved maternal grandmother, Ruth Rebecca Hubbard Conyers Askerneese, who raised him from infancy; his father, Mallion Johnson Davidson; his mother, Ruth(ye) Mae Conyers Bennett Young; his stepfather, Jimmie Edward Young; his paternal grandmother, Mattie Mae Johnson Culpepper Hawkins; and his step-niece, Shaela Hawkins.

At Daryl's request, there will be no funeral service. His wish was to be cremated immediately, and that service was provided by Hughes Funeral Home of Athens, OH. At the convenience of his friends and relatives, Daryl's ashes will be sprinkled over the grave of Mrs. Askerneese, at Morefield Cemetery, Hermitage, Pa., during Bible and Book of Mormon readings, including the King James Version of "Psalms 121: The Lord Is Thy Keeper, a Song of Degrees." In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Good Works, PO Box 4, Athens, OH 45701. Those who wish to send the family a message of sympathy may do so at www.ehwfh.com.