Norma Lewis Davidson died early on January 3rd, 2012 at Denton Regional Hospital. She was 82.
The daughter of Arthur and Mary Lewis, she was born in Provo, Utah, and spent her early childhood there and in Salt Lake City, Utah. During this period, she studied violin and piano and displayed such musical talent that she went to New York City at the age of 16 to study with the great violinist and pedagogue Roman Totenberg at the Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard School. She earned Artist's Diplomas from both schools. During her time in New York, she concertized extensively, appearing on NBC television as well as at numerous concert venues. She also served on the Mannes faculty from 1950-1954.
During her time in New York, she met W. James Davidson, a Ph.D student of English at New York University. James Davidson was also from Salt Lake City, and the two were married there in 1949. They made their first home on City Island, close to Manhattan in New York.
In 1954 her husband was offered a teaching position in English at the University of North Texas, and the two moved to Denton, Texas. After serving on the University of North Texas faculty from 1960-61, she accepted a teaching position as Artist-in-Residence at Texas Woman's University in 1961. At TWU, she did important work in performing and publicizing works by women composers, including the Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz, the American composer Amy Beach, and Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia. With her pianist collaborator, Joyce Strong, the two often performed works by these composers, as well as the traditional violin literature, throughout the United States.
Always striving for knowledge, she earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Psychology from The University of North Texas in 1959 and 1961 as well as continuing her violin studies with the distinguished concertmaster and soloist Leonard Posner at Southern Methodist University where she earned a Masters degree in violin performance in 1964. While still teaching violin at TWU, she also taught beginning psychology courses. An excellent composer herself, she wrote numerous chamber music works for violin, viola, and piano, including a string quartet that was premiered at TWU by the Ravel String Quartet. In addition to her academic work in music, she performed on numerous commercial recordings and soundtracks produced in the Dallas area in the 1970's and 80's. Upon her retirement from TWU, she kept a studio of private violin students.
After James Davidson's death in 2003, she married Willem Vermeulen in 2006 and the two enjoyed many world cruises in their retirement. After his death in 2010, Norma continued to compose and had completed new pieces just days before she passed. She was also a devoted and enthusiastic member of the Ariel Club, a women's music organization.
There will be a visitation at Mulkey-Mason Funeral Home in Denton, Texas, from 7-8 PM on January 9, 2012. The private graveside service for immediate family will be performed by the Reverend Pamela Wat, of the Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on January 10.
She is survived by her sons, Kevin Davidson, of Oxnard, California, and Nathanael Davidson, of Richardson, Texas, and her granddaughter Tara Davidson-Stone of Ft. Worth, Texas.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to The Juilliard School.