Davidson attended Seagoville High School through 1964. He went on to build a life that combined a longtime professional career with his passion for country, oldies, and gospel music.

Known at different times as Cleburn Ray, Ray Davidson, and the stage name David Ray, Davidson became a familiar performer in the North Texas entertainment community.

Davidson died January 29, 2020, at the age of 73. He left behind a musical résumé that included decades of performances, awards, and volunteer service.

From Seagoville to the Stage

Davidson was born August 17, 1946, in Dallas and spent part of his teenage years at Seagoville High School.

He never became a nationally known recording star. He did, however, build the kind of long running regional career that has always been an important part of the Texas music scene.

Davidson described himself as an entertainer specializing in country, oldies, and gospel music. That range allowed him to perform for audiences with very different musical tastes, and it became one of the trademarks of his career.

Recognition From Texas Music Organizations

Davidson earned numerous honors during his years as an entertainer.

Among them were multiple awards from the Fort Worth based Lone Star Music Association, including being named Most Versatile Singer four times and Male Vocalist of the Year once.

He also earned recognition from the Texas All Star Revue in Fort Worth. That included Most Versatile honors in 2000 and 2001, followed by an Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year honor in 2002.

Those honors reflected Davidson’s ability to move between several styles rather than building his performances around only one genre. Country music could dominate one show, gospel could take center stage at another, and oldies allowed him to reach still another audience.

For a regional entertainer, that adaptability helped create opportunities to perform for a wide range of events and organizations.

Singing for New York First Responders After 9/11

One of the most significant chapters of Davidson’s music career came after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Davidson joined a group of singers from Texas and Oklahoma who traveled by bus to New York City to perform for firefighters, police officers, and others affected by the attacks. The group visited fire stations and other locations around the New York area, including the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan, Macy’s, and a mall on Long Island.

They returned in December to perform a Christmas show for firefighters. The singers volunteered their time and paid their own travel expenses.

Davidson was using the stage name David Ray during that period, before eventually returning to performing under his own name.

The trip became a particularly meaningful part of his career because the purpose went far beyond entertainment. At a time when New York firefighters and police officers were dealing with extraordinary loss, Davidson and the other singers used music to show support from hundreds of miles away.

Music as Community Service

Davidson also used his performing career to support causes closer to home.

He volunteered as an entertainer with Toys for Tots from 1998 through 2014, reinforcing a pattern that appeared throughout his music career.

Performing was never simply about applause, competitions, or awards for Davidson. It also gave him a way to help charitable organizations and entertain people during important community events.

A Career Outside the Spotlight

Davidson maintained a professional life outside entertainment as well, working with the Trinity River Authority of Texas, including service as a senior mechanic.

Like many regional musicians, he balanced a conventional career with years of performing. That combination is part of what makes his story notable.

Texas music history is filled not only with recording stars and touring professionals, but also with singers and musicians who spent decades performing throughout their communities while maintaining careers outside the entertainment industry. Davidson was part of that tradition.

A Seagoville Connection That Lasted

More than half a century after his years at Seagoville High School, Davidson had built a résumé few classmates could have predicted.

His journey included a professional career with the Trinity River Authority, recognition from Texas music organizations, charitable performances, years entertaining North Texas audiences, and a trip to New York to support first responders following one of the darkest days in American history.

For Cleburn “Ray” Davidson, that path was defined by work, service, and a lifelong connection to music.

The post Where Are They Now? Cleburn “Ray” Davidson — SHS Class of 1964 appeared first on Shop in Seagoville.

Morris, the valedictorian of Seagoville High School’s Class of 2018, went on to attend the University of Texas at Dallas and study marketing through the university’s Naveen Jindal School of Management. Today, she works in sales management with the Thrust Flight organization in the Dallas area.

At the Top of the SHS Class

Dallas ISD recognized Morris as Seagoville High School’s 2018 valedictorian ahead of commencement ceremonies that spring.

At the time, Morris planned to attend the University of Texas at Dallas and major in business.

She followed through on the move to UT Dallas, enrolling in the Naveen Jindal School of Management and pursuing marketing as her field of study.

Building Marketing Experience at UT Dallas

While attending UT Dallas, Morris began gaining professional experience outside the classroom.

In 2021, she worked as an intern with Social Strategy1, where her responsibilities included developing and scheduling content for social-media platforms.

Morris described working with Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn campaigns while learning tools including Canva, Photoshop and Hootsuite.

The internship also required her to balance full-time college coursework with a part-time job and professional responsibilities.

As she approached graduation, Morris wrote that the experience had increased her interest in digital marketing and given her practical experience creating content for clients and managing projects on deadline.

From Marketing to Aviation

Morris eventually brought her business and marketing background into the aviation-training industry.

Her professional profile lists Thrust Flight in Addison as part of her career beginning in 2023, initially connecting her work with marketing and admissions.

The company provides flight training for students pursuing private, commercial and professional aviation careers.

Morris’s work developed into sales management, placing her in a role that combines communication, customer service and business development with helping prospective students navigate aviation-training opportunities.

Her current professional profile describes her as passionate about helping students begin aviation careers.

A Business Career Takes Flight

The career path Morris has followed closely resembles the direction she outlined while leaving Seagoville High School.

The 2018 valedictorian entered UT Dallas intending to pursue business, developed a specialization in marketing, gained hands-on digital-marketing experience while still a student and ultimately carried those skills into the aviation industry.

For current Seagoville High School students, Morris provides an example of how an academic plan made at graduation can evolve into a specialized career that may not have been obvious when that journey began.

Eight years after representing SHS as its valedictorian, Mikaela Morris is now using the business and marketing foundation she began building after graduation to help others prepare for careers of their own.

The post Where Are They Now? Mikaela Morris — SHS Class of 2018 appeared first on Shop in Seagoville.