In Memory of Xander Davies

Oct. 9, 1985–Oct. 22, 2020

The program for the Celebration of Life Memorial Service can be downloaded here.

The virtual memorial service will be held on Thursday, Oct. 29th, at 6:00pm. If you would like to attend and are not a College of Education student, staff, or faculty, please email coe-dean@pdx.edu for the link.

Dr. Xander Davies was a beloved professor and colleague in the Curriculum and Instruction department at Portland State University. He will be missed.

Please share a brief story or memory of Xander below. Messages will be shared with his family.

Dr. Xander Davies earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Northern Iowa before obtaining his Ph.D. at the University of Central Florida in 2018. He joined PSU shortly afterward, specializing in English as a Second Language (ESOL) and elementary education.

Davies relished other languages and cultures, traveling recently to Egypt and Cambodia. Davies wrote his dissertation about an elementary school in its first year of transitioning to a dual language program. He used the paper as an opportunity to thank teachers who work in what he called “one of the most difficult professions.” He not only spoke out about the importance of helping teachers succeed with all students, but actively sought to empower educators while he taught at PSU.

"Your warmth and positive light will always stick with me. You are such a breath of bright, fresh air that inspires and welcomes anyone who crosses your path. I feel so lucky to be one of those people. You are a model and a shining example for future educators and human beings alike. You build such trusting and strong relationships with your students and treat them as colleagues. Laughing and learning right along with them. You have inspired and empowered me Xander and I will always be so grateful."
"I never left a conversation with Xander without a smile on my face. I could count on them in a pinch - whether it was to check my APA, share a syllabus, or hang out as a friend in the empty Covid hallways of FAB. I'll miss you, Xander!"
"All memories came back to my mind when I just heard of this. I used to be Alex's student since summer 2019. I really appreciate all his experiences and sharing. His diverse teaching background and knowledge was so inspiring and encouraging. I remembered lots of details about him. He mentioned you all very often. He told us not to call him Dr. or Professor. He was an active listener. He expressed his appreciation of me because I shared about my English language learning experiences in the whole class. He always said "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." He gave each of us feedback on our assignments with many details, not just grades or scores. He even helped me correct citations format as I just started my program last year and was not familiar with academic languages. He showed his empathy and sympathy in his articles......List goes on. He contributed a lot and dedicated so much to his career."
"I only met Xander once, in a SAC meeting. I was impressed with what an intent listener he was to the problem at hand, the intelligent questioning that followed and his sincere desire to help the student. Immediately, I KNEW that Xander was like this to every student he encountered. He was compassionate and passionate. My hope is that his legacy lives on through his students and colleagues, in those same characteristics, and that we all learn to carry within us, what Xander exhibited every day."
"Xander was the kindest, most considerate, thoughtful teacher I have ever had. In the short time that I knew him, he instilled in me confidence and inspiration to be better teacher and a better human. The world is a darker place without his presence in it."
"Brilliant, compassionate, caring, unique. Alex will be missed by many."
"I am sending gratitude for the lives Xander touched through his life work- his care and passion will be missed and I am grateful to have known him. Deepest heartfelt condolences to his family."
"He loved Egypt and when he knew that I am Egyptian, we shared our stories of Egyptian culture, education, and Arabic. He kindly shared with me his books and tons of advice about my research. I was hoping to continue to learn from him. He made smile and believed in my research. I will miss you Xander so much."
"A few colleagues of my teaching cohort and I had Professor Xander Davies for his Second Language Acquisition course over the summer. It was delightful to learn from him, work around the clock under his guidance, and build a strong classroom community through his caring, understanding demeanor. For one week, he dedicated all of his time and energy to address everyone’s needs and concerns in class, and I highly appreciate his tremendous work to include every student in his course. There was a time after his class in which a few of my classmates suggested to hear more from Dr. Davies’ experiences once all of us could meet. Nevertheless, he will be missed, his supportive role as an educator is admirable, and I hold Xander close to my heart as a professor I respect and appreciate."
"Xander you were a diamond about to shine! You already have positively impacted more people than you could have imagined! May you find the peace, contentment and acceptance in that next place!"
"I don’t even know what to say. Xander was a big part of my experience at PSU. When I didn’t have the answers or enough information about something, he always advocated for me and helped me. He was so encouraging and warm and really made me feel like I might succeed jn this whole teaching thing. Xander was the one I pictured myself asking for letters of reference when I applied for teaching jobs and who I knew would always support me. He was one of those people whose very presence made me feel good, and happy, and like I wanted to be there. The world is a far darker place without him. I hope he knew what an incredible impact he had on so many of us. He will never, EVER be forgotten."
"Dr. Xander Davies was an awesome professor with his passion. I was very fortunate to have a chance to learn from him. Because of his encouragement, I have applied for the Ed.D. program at PSU this week. Because he was very supportive and offered me to write the letter of recommendation for this process, when I took his class this summer, I emailed him about it this week, and I was waiting for his reply and wondering about it... He had a very sincere and warm heart with his passion. I admire many of his great accomplishments. I feel sorrow for him and his family. I do not know what to say here. My prayer is with him..."
"Xander would pop into my office, big grin on his face, ready to talk about anything ranging from my cats (he loved them) to his most recent travel adventures. We shared a love of Egypt, having both traveled in that country. Xander and I talked about how teaching overseas was a game-changer for both of us. I loved his openness, his bouncy delight, and his bright intelligence. And I am so sad that he won't ever again appear in my office, ready for a friendly chat."
"It is unexpected and shock to me a. The last time I saw Xander was in the zoom breakout last Tuesday! He looks fine to me. I can't believe that was the last time I see him and hear his voice. It is terribly sad. I remembered that I was the person to reach out to him for the Assistant Professor that he applied in the Curriculum and Instruction Department. Our relationship start from there. He always asked about my family and work, and I did the same thing to him when we run into each other in the hallway. He had shared with me that he was adopted when he was a little child. I'm so proud of you and glad to know you, Xander! You will be missed!"
"Professor Davies taught several of my ESOL courses in 2019. His humor and relational style was disarming. He introduced himself as “Xander” during our first class and told some of his story. His warm openness invited others in the class to feel comfortable and safe to share. I chose to sign up for Xander’s classes because he truly cared about us as individuals. He was a flexible educator who met us where we were in our learning. He modeled culturally responsive teaching in every class meeting. A couple of months after our last class together, Xander sent me an email out of the blue to send me well wishes on my wedding day. Xander gave us a lot of love, and we loved him back! Xander will always have a special place in my heart."
"I had the opportunity to be his student around 4 weeks. In a short time, I will remember him as a professor with big dreams, humble and great creating a positive environment in the classroom. I am thankful for the knowledge that he shared every week, and his weakness and strong areas as an educator. His life examples during class helped to reflect in my own journey. It helped me to grow as a mom and repair the relationship between my daughter and me, as a daughter because it helped me to have a long time conversation that I was waiting to have with her, and as an educator because now I am more aware of the families and students needs, challenges or just value them as they are. His life challenges and his perseverance on what he believes, helped me to see that I can also believe and chase my dreams. Receiving the news also helped me to also do a pause and reflect in a whole different way: value balance and value the now. He is one of those professors that crosses your life in a short time, but left an imprint in you that you will preserve forever."
"You gave me more respect, time and humanity than any educator I have met at your level and I know each of your younger students felt the same way because you are that great of a person. Thank you so much for everything, the world is going to miss you dearly."
"I was working as an administrator in the Curriculum & Instruction Department when Xander joined the faculty. He always thanked me profusely when asking for assistance and approached all our interactions with unmistakable humility. The last time I saw him face to face was during the summer, after the university began remote operations. We both happened to be on campus for in-person errands and our paths crossed in the Urban Plaza. We checked in about the strange and challenging times and connected through some humor. I remember walking away, after our interaction ended, and feeling distinctly better, lighter, and more positive than before I'd seen him."
"I have such fond memories of Xander sharing his passion for adventures in travel to places like Cambodia and Egypt. He was full of energy and love of life - ready to take on new adventures. A sweet and thoughtful human being and caring professor. He will be missed and I only wish I had spent more time in his presence."
"Hearing of Xander's passing is impossible to process. Xander was always a breath of fresh air - honest, direct, bold, assertive, sarcastic, and transparent in a city and university that doesn't always reward those gifts. He was always available to and supportive of his peers. Never bashful about giving you a piece of his mind when he saw something unfair happening. He was always willing to share his advice when he saw peers struggling. Xander inspired me to keep pushing forward because I knew I wasn't the only vocal and proud queer POC in the COE. Someone with so much potential, large dreams, and a determination to pursue his goals no matter how distant shouldn't have left us so soon."
"Although I did not know Xander for very long, he touched my life in a very real way. He encouraged all of his students to keep self-care in mind which has helped me to be so much more engaged and successful in my learning. Not only was Xander an amazing professor, but he was an even better person. He made everyone feel welcomed, heard, and included. I will never forget Xander's kindness and understanding which made everyone around him feel at ease. Rest in peace, Xander!"
"Even on the toughest days, Dr. Xander Davies brought a smile to our class. I will always appreciate Dr. Davies’ kindness towards me and my cohort. The stories and insights Dr. Davies shared have shaped my views towards education for the better, and for that, I’m truly grateful."
"Dr. Davies shared his research with our doctoral cohort last year as well as provided feedback to many of us in our research symposiums as we presented research for our dissertations. He grounded humanizing research for me and asked thoughtful and important questions that challenged me and took me further in my research. I was also really interested in his use of photography in his research and truly considered him an inspiring researcher in the field of qualitative research. Dr. Davies will be missed and my hope is to continue pushing for humanizing practices in research in an effort towards his memory."
"I met Dr. Davies as an attendee to doctoral presentations that the Department organized to help students clarify aspects of their research process and interests. He sat at two of my presentations and his insights and encouragement were always valuable. He would greet me in Spanish knowing ( perhaps) that this will ease somehow my nervousness. I will always remember and appreciate this huge gesture of kindness. We also had numerous conversations about books, my problem of practice, and research methods. He offered encouragement in a time where I felt at a lost as a student and advised me on keep moving forward no matter what even if it seemed impossible or difficult. I had asked Dr. Davies to serve as one of my committee members because of his great appreciation and commitment towards social justice related issues pertaining to youth of color."
"I was talking with someone who knew Xander and she described him as a "fiesta ball of sunshine." I loved that. Xander taught me a lot about prioritizing the personhood in our profession and that connection must come before all else. I already miss him so much and I'm grateful for the memories I have of him."
"Xander was the most genuine and personally engaged educator who made students feel like partners in education. His humanity was so vivid and he shared life with everyone around him so that they felt like they were in the presence of a friend. He would take class periods to address important questions about big structural issues in education and our personal concerns, making us feel heard in the frantic world of public education. His concern for students - all students, like the ones we were working with, not just the graduate students he was responsible for - was inspirational and came from a deep and genuine love. The experiences Xander sought out in the world, and brought to share with us, exemplified the interconnected and personally invested philosophy he practiced and taught every day. Xander, thank you for all that you did for your students - I will miss you so much."
"Xander was one of the greatest instructors I have ever had. I had only know him for a couple of weeks, but that’s all it took for him to make such an impact on my life as a person and future educator. Even through this distance learning platform he had a way of making his students feel so welcomed and cared for. I will miss his jokes and amazing stories. I wish I would’ve had more time to learn more from him. He was so passionate about his job and it was so inspirational. He is the true definition of what it means to be a great teacher and human being. I aspire to be like him. I know he’s in heaven playing some Disney songs on his piano. Rest In Peace Xander. And Thank you for everything❤️"
"I had the great privilege to take three classes from Xander in the spring and summer of this year. He was the professor for my first class in my return to grad school after a 20 year absence. I was so unsure of myself and not really believing I could do the grad student thing again. Xander had such confidence in me and made me feel like I was right where I was meant to be. His humility, authenticity, wisdom, and knowledge were amazing! I hope to carry a tiny bit of Xander with me in my teaching practice. Thank you, Xander!"
"Xander was a an enthusiastic and empathetic leader who asked us the first day of class to not call him "Dr" as he considered us all colleagues on this learning adventure. I only knew him for a short month, but during that time I connected with him about traveling and teaching abroad, love of learning in different cultures, and personal issues. He was deeply supportive and flexible. I am blessed to have known him for the time I did, and will treasure him and his beautiful soul always as I continue on my own path of education."
"Xander was one of the best teachers I ever had. He always held a smile through every class and respected everyone. In the short time I knew Xander, he enjoyed sharing his experiences and spoke highly of his family. Rest in peace, your legacy and memory will last forever."
"I was fortunate to have Xander as a professor twice over the past year. Xander treated us as colleagues, fellow human beings and never lorded his credentials over us. He was willing to share about his experiences and his opinions but was careful to make sure that we knew we didn’t need to share the same ones as him. He took the time to write more feedback on our assignments than any other professor that I have taken a class from and the comments were incredibly thoughtful. I have the fondest memories of class with Xander but I am most appreciative of his class from Spring Term. At the beginning of the pandemic, life seemed incredibly uncertain and online classes challenging - Xander seamlessly made his online classes engaging, thought-provoking and inviting. He took time to chat with me for an hour on the phone when I was panicking about an assignment and helped me hone my skills to finish up my practicum. I will forever have fond memories of Xander and am incredibly thankful to have known and learned from him."
"Personally, I had the honor of working with Xander as a new assistant professor through a series of orientation meetings. He was so open and enthusiastic about his transition to the role of a professor. He asked me many questions about teaching, research, and I helped him brainstorm how to combine his love of travel and service with his scholarship. He had such large dreams! He really didn’t need my help at all. I would reassure him that he was on the right track and here to support him!"
"You are a bright shining star. I feel so fortunate to have shared in the doctoral experience with you. Thank you for the joy you spread to everyone around you."
"Even though I've only met him through zoom his kindness and dedication to his students was evident. He truly cared about his community and wanted the best for everyone he met. He will be greatly missed."

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