By By LYDIA GRIMES
Feature Reporter
Almost everyone around the area of Brewton and East Brewton is familiar with this week's profile.
Gerald Davidson has been a resident of Brewton for only a little over 12 years, but his profession is one that makes him very visible. He is the District Manager for Liberty National Life Insurance Company for the areas of Monroeville, Jay, Walnut Hill and all of Escambia County, Ala. He did not get to his position over-night. It took him a number of years to work up the chain from the time he became an agent for the company in 1975.
Liberty National Life Insurance Company traces it origin back to 1900, when it was founded in Birmingham as the Heralds of Liberty and has continued to grow. It is now a part of Torchmark Corporation, a Fortune 500 company.
Davidson has reached the point in his life that he has no desire to advance any higher in the company. He seems to have found the perfect spot that makes him happy in his profession. The work has been hard but the company rewards those who do well with trips to some of the most interesting places in the world.
Davidson was born the youngest of five children in Butler, Ala. but only because that was the nearest place with a hospital to the small town of Toxey in Choctaw County.
He said he was an average student and participated in all types of sports offered by the school.
After graduation he moved to Mobile to attend the University of South Alabama. He got a job with his brother-in-law at Ozzie's Barbecue and worked while he attended college. It was while he was at college that he met his wife, Sharon and they were married in 1971. He later went to work for International Paper and stayed there for the next five years.
"I was made Rookie Agent of the Year in 1977," he said. "Those were the years when I was going door to door selling and collecting."
After nine years as an agent he was promoted to sales manager and started training other agents.
He had taken a step up the ladder and now was in the position of being in charge of others and he answered to the district manager as his surperior. He did this for about 11 years and it was in that position that he came to Brewton in 1991.
Trent was five years old when the family moved to Brewton. It was only a couple of years later that Davidson was promoted once again. In 1993 he became a district manager for the area around Crestview and Fort Walton. He traveled back and forth to his new job from Brewton.
After about six months of commuting, Sexton got his promotion and Davidson was brought back to this district to take over the job he still holds today. He is in charge of around 30 employees in the district.
Although he loves his work and enjoys what he does, his life revolves around his son, Trent.
He was involved with other community activities. He was on the board at the YMCA for 10 years and was also on the executive board. He is a past member of the Lion's Club, attends First Baptist Church of Brewton and, while in Mobile, was a member of the Mystic Society.
He has served as president of the T.R. Miller Quarterback Club for the past two years during the time of Trent's junior and senior year. They now live near the site of the old North Brewton School and have a large yard and pond that Davidson loves to take care of. When he retires, sometimes in the future, he is looking forward to working in that yard and going fishing.
Trent is a senior this year and has won himself an athletic scholarship to the University of Alabama. The Davidsons will be making many trips up and down the road between Brewton and Tuscaloosa. Their only son will be leaving home, but he will probably get lots of visits from his parents.
Davidson's wife, Sharon, returned to college at Jefferson Davis Community College and became a Registered Nurse. She is presently the adjunct clinical instructor at JDCC and fills in as needed at the hospital.