Read a statement on her passing in April 2013 ››

Kathryn W. Davis was a noted author and philanthropist. She received a BA from Wellesley College (1928), an MA in International Relations from Columbia University (1931), and a Ph.D. from the University of Geneva (1934).

Her interest in international engagement dated back to 1929 and her first of more than 30 trips to Russia. The International Center at Princeton University is named after her, as is Wellesley’s Davis Museum and Cultural Center.

To celebrate her 100th birthday, she launched Davis Projects for Peace, which funds 100 initiatives around the world to advance peace.

Mrs. Davis met with Seeds in person on many occasions at her homes in New York and New England, most recently in the summer of 2011 when members of the Seas of Peace sailing crew joined her for lunch in Maine.

“Seeds of Peace engages motivated youth from places at conflict with one another in ways no other organization does—by building personal relationships that can transcend the limitations of their own backgrounds and then keeps them focused on their common agenda of advancing the cause of peace,” said Mrs. Davis.

She was the recipient of several awards, including the 2006 Woodrow Wilson Award of Public Service.