KEN AND BARBARA JO DAVIS:
An Inventory of Their Papers at the Minnesota Historical
Society
Access to or use of this collection is
currently restricted.
For Details, see the
Restriction Statement
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| Creator: | Davis, Ken J.,
1923-1991. |
| Title: | Ken and Barbara Jo Davis Papers. |
| Date: | 1946-1996 (bulk 1980-1996). |
| Abstract: | Papers reflecting the personal lives,
education, and business ventures of an African-American couple from Minneapolis
(Minn.). The papers include correspondence (1971-1993), photographs undated and
1960-1973), a guest register (1986, 1989), legal documents, business plans
(1986, 1991), articles of incorporation (1973, 1989), minutes (1989), marketing
and sales reports (1992-1996), financial statements, stock certificates,
newspaper advertisements, coupons, trademarks, menus, flyers, posters, labels,
price lists, order forms, newspaper and magazine clippings (undated and
1965-1993), three audio cassettes (undated and 1989), and a
scrapbook. |
| Quantity: | 2.8 cu. ft. (4 boxes). |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for box
locations. |
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Ken Davis
Ken Davis was born in Omaha, Nebraska (Sept. 22, 1923) where he
graduated from high school and briefly studied engineering at Drake University.
After serving in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II Davis played
bass fiddle as a professional jazz musician and later owned and operated a
commercial kitchen and a janitorial service in Omaha.
In 1967 Davis moved to Minneapolis and was hired by Dayton's as
maintenance supervisor at its store in the Brookdale Shopping Center (1968). In
1969 he bought Edina Chicken, a take-out restaurant in Edina, Minnesota. The
restaurant closed the following year and Davis decided to market his barbecue
sauce. He established Ken Davis Products, Inc., hired his future wife, Barbara
Jo Taylor, to help him develop a consistent recipe, and sold the product out of
his car to grocery stores throughout the seven-county metropolitan area. The
company was a success and eventually increased its annual revenues to several
million dollars with a varied product line and a five-state market area.
Davis and his company played an active role in community and
charitable causes including his service as one of the first African-American
Santa Clauses to entertain in the Twin Cities, his service as honorary
co-chairman of INVITE, Inc. (1989), and the firm's sponsorship of fund raising
events for local food shelves. Ken Davis died of complications from lung cancer
on August 22, 1991.
Barbara Jo Davis
Barbara Jo Davis, the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Lee Taylor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, graduated from Cheyenne Central High
School (1960), received a B.A. in dietetics from the University of Northern
Colorado in Greeley, and completed a dietetic internship at Freedman Hospital,
Washington, D.C. Her first job was as a research dietician for Cox Coronary
Heart Institute at Dayton, Ohio (1965-1967). The program was funded by General
Mills and when it ended Davis was hired by Betty Crocker Kitchens. Davis
remained with General Mills for 20 years working primarily in management. In
1988 Davis became president of Ken Davis Products, Inc. and when Ken Davis died
Barbara Jo continued with the company as its owner/president.
Davis' professional and community involvement included her service as
the first national president for the Coalition for Black Development in Home
Economics; her membership in the American Home Economics Association, serving
as its membership chair in 1993-1994; her service on the board of directors of
the Meyerhoff Educational Internship Program; and her activity with the
Stairship Initiative in Minneapolis.
Biographical data was taken from the collection.
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The collection reflects the Davises' personal lives, education, and
business ventures. Topics include Barbara Jo Davis' high school and college
education, her career as a certified dietician, Ken Davis' career in the food
service industry, the management of Ken Davis Products, Inc., and an
entertainment booking and promotion company the couple were engaged in called
BassLine Events.
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| This collection is indexed under the following
headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers
desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the
catalog using these headings. |
| Topics: |
| | Advertising -- Food -- Minnesota. |
| | Afro-American business enterprises -- Minnesota. |
| | Afro-American business people - Minnesota. |
| | Afro-American women executives -- Minnesota. |
| | Barbecue cookery -- Middle West. |
| | Businesswomen - Minnesota. |
| | Condiment industry -- Minnesota. |
| | Cookery (meat). |
| | Cookery, American -- Midwestern style. |
| | Food industry and trade -- Minnesota. |
| | Jazz festivals -- Minnesota. |
| | Sauce industry -- Minnesota. |
| | Sauces. |
| Person: |
| | Davis, Barbara Jo. |
| Organizations: |
| | Edina Chicken (Edina, Minn.). |
| | General Mills, inc. -- Employees. |
| | Ken Davis Products (Minneapolis, Minn.). |
| | Ken Davis Worldwide (Minneapolis, Minn.). |
| Occupations: |
| | Afro-American cooks -- Minnesota. |
| | Businessmen - Minnesota-- Minneapolis. |
| | Dietitians-- Minnesota -- Minneapolis. |
| Type of Documentation: |
| | Audio cassettes. |
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| Restrictions: |
| | Folders containing unrestricted papers have been identified in the
container list. Material in folders which are not labeled as unrestricted are
restricted until 25 years after the date of their creation. Persons wishing to
see the restricted material must apply for access permission. Please consult
with the reference department staff for more information. |
| Preferred Citation: |
| | [Indicate the cited item and/or series
here]. Ken and Barbara Jo Davis Papers. Minnesota Historical
Society. |
| | See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples. |
| Accession Information: |
| | Accession numbers: 14,913; 15,233; 15,350 |
| Processing Information: |
| | Processed by: Frank Hennessy, April 1998 |
| | PALS ID number: 09-00038834 |
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Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the
location and box numbers shown below.
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Personal Papers
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| The first group of papers in this series relates to Barbara Jo
Davis' education and career as a home economist. A project on fashion art
(1957); correspondence, newspaper clippings, and a diary documenting her
attendance at Wyoming Girls State (June 7-13, 1959); a scrapbook of personal
memorabilia from her senior year in high school (1959); a group of poems and
papers written for her college English composition classes; and a number of
speeches and articles she authored are included. |
| Other personal papers include correspondence; a newspaper article
and diary entries describing Barbara Jo's participation in a picket of Governor
George Wallace (1963); records related to Edina Chicken including a newspaper
article (November 1970), a photograph of Ken Davis behind the counter, and
legal papers related to the firm's bankruptcy proceedings (May 1971); the
Davises' marriage certificate (June 14, 1973); Ken's r_sum_ (March 27,1974);
certificates of appreciation from various organizations (undated and 1980,
1985, 1991); and a guest register from two unidentified social events (December
27, 1986 and August 6, 1989). |
| Ken Davis' obituaries (August 23, 1991), his will (February 7,
1989), and death certificate (August 22, 1991); correspondence and
miscellaneous papers related to the establishment of the Ken Davis Memorial
Scholarship for students in the jazz program at the University of Minnesota
(1993); and a book containing reminiscences, tributes, and anecdotes about Ken
Davis (1991) are also included. |
| The remaining personal papers include correspondence, newspaper
clippings, a schedule, and photographs documenting Ken Davis' service as one of
the first African-American Santa Clauses in the Twin Cities (undated and
1975-1977); miscellaneous newspaper and magazine clippings (undated and
1965-1983); and portraits of Ken and Barbara Jo Davis (undated and
1960-1973). |
| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.9B | 1 |
Barbara Jo Davis:
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Ninth Grade Home Economics Project, 1957.
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| | | | Unrestricted |
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Senior Year, 1959.
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| | | | Unrestricted |
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English Composition, undated and 1960-1963.
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| | | | Unrestricted |
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Speeches and Articles, 1988-1996.
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| | | | Unrestricted |
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Personal Correspondence, 1971-1996.
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| | | Unrestricted |
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Miscellaneous Personal Papers, 1946-1994.
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| | | Unrestricted |
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Book of Memories, 1991.
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| | | Unrestricted |
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Santa Claus, undated and 1975-1977.
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Newspaper and Magazine Clippings, undated and 1965-1993.
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Photographs, undated and 1960-1973.
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Guest Register, 1986, 1989.
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| | | Unrestricted |
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Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
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Business Records
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| Portions of this series are
restricted. |
| Records pertaining to the marketing of Ken Davis Products, Inc.
include correspondence, primarily from customers and various organizations and
events that the firm financially supported (undated and 1985-1996); menus
featuring Ken Davis barbecue sauce including one Davis used while teaching a
class at Kitchen Window Inc., and two others that were featured in a cookbook
entitled Kingsford's Best Barbecues; newspaper advertisements; and
miscellaneous promotional material consisting of order blanks, coupons, price
lists, labels, flyers, posters, and other printed matter. There is also a group
of records documenting in-store promotions or special events sponsored or
attended by the firm and a folder containing papers connected with the purchase
and maintenance of a Greyhound bus Davis purchased in order to attend special
events. |
| Other records related to marketing include certificates (1978,
1980, 1990) and correspondence pertaining to trademark registration (1985,
1991), reports based on marketing studies commissioned to outside firms,
correspondence with a number of distributors, correspondence and reports
associated with a growth program instituted by KDPI which offered sales-based
incentives to participants, and correspondence and related material connected
with brokers handling Ken Davis products in Minnesota, North and South Dakota,
Iowa, and Wisconsin. A box of oversize material containing a scrapbook of color
photographs of store displays in the Twin Cities area, coupons, newspaper
advertisements, and the floor plan for a proposed fish restaurant is also
included. |
| A group of miscellaneous records including business proposals,
articles of incorporation (November 1973), stock offerings (1973), market
research, budgets (1990), stock certificates (Oct. 1990), an employee handbook
(1991), and a business plan (1991) is followed by records related to the
company's finances. These include a stock offering the firm made to a limited
group of friends and associates in the early 1980s and a set of records
consisting of correspondence, legal documents, and notes related to Davis'
attempt to sell the company to a number of firms in the late 1980s. |
| In 1986 Ken Davis sold the licensing rights to the use of his name
to Ken Sherman who attempted to distribute Davis' regional product nationally
through a company entitled Ken Davis Worldwide. The attempt failed and a folder
(1986-1991) containing business plans, contracts, financial statements, and
correspondence documents the relationship between Ken Davis Products, Inc., and
Ken Davis Worldwide, Inc. |
| Another business represented in the papers is BassLine Events,
Inc. The firm was founded in 1989 by Ken and Barbara Jo Davis and its purpose
was to organize, sponsor, and promote concerts and other forms of
entertainment. Papers associated with the firm include correspondence
(1989-1991); a corporate minute book containing articles of incorporation,
bylaws, minutes, and stock certificates (1989); notes; legal documents
(1989-1991); contracts (1989); tickets; newspaper clippings (1989); and an
audio cassette of a radio advertisement (1989). |
| The material pertains almost exclusively to a jazz concert and
dance to help the homeless entitled, "Bouncin' With Basie," which was canceled
due to lack of ticket sales. Topics include the event's sponsors, publicity,
ticket sales, musician contracts, and hotel arrangements. There is also a group
of correspondence and legal documents (1989-1991) related to a law suit brought
against the Davises and BassLine Events, Inc., by an individual who
participated in planning and organizing the event. |
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Ken Davis Products, Inc. (KDPI):
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Correspondence:
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.10F | 2 | | |
Undated and 1984-1996.
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.9B | 1 | | |
Undated and 1986-1996. 2 folders.
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| | | | | Unrestricted |
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Recipes:
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.10F | 2 | | |
Undated and 1984.
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.9B | 1 | | |
Undated and 1984, 1993-1996.
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| | | | | Unrestricted |
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Promotions, Special Events, and
Advertisements:
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.10F | 2 | | |
Undated and 1984-1996.
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.9B | 1 | | |
Undated and 1984-1996.
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| | | | | Unrestricted |
| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.10F | 2 | |
National Rib Cook-Off, May 26-30, 1988.
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Jazz & Bar-B-Q Classic, Sept 22-23,
1990.
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UPS Show, 1992.
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Bus Information, 1987, 1995.
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.9B | 1 | |
Radio Advertisements. 2 Audio Cassettes
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| | | | Unrestricted |
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Newspaper Clippings, 1983-1984, 1993-1995.
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| | | | Unrestricted |
| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.10F | 2 | |
Trademarks, 1978-1980, 1990-1991.
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Vendor and Concession License Proposals: St. Paul
Winter Carnival and Minneapolis Aquatennial, 1988.
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Brand Research Report, February 1993.
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New Label Design Check, July 20, 1993.
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Concept and Positioning Assessment: Final Report,
February 5, 1996.
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Apex distributing Company: Manufacturing Agreement,
1980.
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Associated Food Products, 1983-1984.
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KDPI Chicago, 1985.
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Minnesota Marketing Plan, 1988.
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Discus Corp., 1986-1991.
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Roundy's, 1991.
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Log House Foods, 1990-1993.
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.16.10F | 2 | |
Customer Growth Programs:
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Food Service of America/Central Region,
1988-1991.
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Reinhart Institutional Foods, 1988-1993.
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Sysco, 1989-1992.
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Sam's Club, 1991-1992.
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Reports, 1992-1995. 2 folders.
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Sales Representative Agreement.
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Brokers:
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Lincoln McCallum-Sorem Company: Minnesota, North and
South Dakota, 1990-1993.
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Hockenberg Rubin: Iowa, 1992-1993.
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Guell Sales and Marketing, 1993.
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Miscellaneous Business Records, undated and 1972-1973,
1981-1991. 2 folders.
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.17.1B | 3 | |
Offering Memoranda, [1980?].
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Potential Sale of KDPI:
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John Bendt, 1989.
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Western Dressing, 1989.
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Bob Sturgis-Fast Food, 1989.
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Jim Sippl, 1989.
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Sunstar Foods, 1989.
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Home Brands Company, 1989.
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M.A. Gedney Company, 1989.
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Powell's Candies, 1989.
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Faribault Foods, 1989.
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Holsum Foods, 1989.
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Max Hill, 1991-1993.
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Ken Davis World Wide, Inc., undated and
1986-1991.
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Bassline Events, Inc.:
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Corporate Minute Book.
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Incorporation, Finances, and Events, 1989.
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"Bouncin' With Basie," June 15, 1989:
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Management and Publicity.
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Sponsors.
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Marriot Hotel and Musician Contracts.
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Lawsuit, undated and 1989-1991. 2 folders.
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| Location | Box |
| 142.G.2.8F-2 | 4 |
Scrapbook , Miscellaneous Advertisements, and Floor
Plan.
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