It was just another day of high school track practice for James “Jim” P. Davis ’79, until Lehigh track and field coach John Covert pulled him aside.
"I've got some great news for you," Covert told Jim. "We were able to get you an athletics scholarship."
Jim still remembers the rush of joy. The middle of three sons, each two years apart, he knew what a financial stretch college would be for his parents. Without that scholarship, attending Lehigh would not have been possible.
That moment didn't just determine where he would go to school. It changed the trajectory of his life.
Five decades later, Jim traces every opportunity back to that conversation on the track.
Finding His Stride
Raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, Jim watched his parents "work their tails off" to provide for their family. Given his strength in math and science, engineering felt like a natural fit. He had been considering Rutgers, and Lehigh seemed out of reach — until the scholarship changed everything.
"Choosing Lehigh was one of the top decisions of my life," he says.
Covert became a mentor, and Jim thrived, serving as captain of the track and cross-country team in his junior and senior years. The discipline of balancing Division I athletics and engineering sharpened skills he still relies on today.
"You learn time management, or you don't survive," he says.
There was camaraderie from the start. He quickly realized his freshman roommate, Dave Friedfeld ’79, had been a high school competitor at regional meets. They became close friends.
Jim worked as a "pot scrubber" at Chi Psi fraternity in exchange for meals. He later joined the fraternity and made lifelong friendships — as evidenced by a recent trip to Portugal and Spain with fraternity brothers and their wives.
"Everything about Lehigh just clicked for me: the academics, the professors, the friendships," Jim says.
An internship at Johnson & Johnson's brand-new diaper plant gave him hands-on experience as an industrial engineering intern and introduced him to supply chain management.
"That solidified my decision," he says. "I knew that's what I wanted to do."
Momentum on a Global Stage
Lehigh opened doors. Jim interviewed with multiple companies on campus and received three offers. He chose Colgate-Palmolive over Johnson & Johnson because, he jokes, "I liked toothpaste better than diapers."
Recruited directly from Lehigh, he began at Colgate's Jersey City facility and gained experience on the factory floor as a foreman supervising a union workforce. Over time, he rose to lead Colgate's U.S. Customer Service and Logistics organization and later served as a director on the Global Supply Chain and Logistics team.
"Everything I learned at Lehigh — academically, athletically, socially — prepared me to lead in a global organization," he says.
Over the course of his career, Jim traveled to more than 30 countries, helping guide Colgate's supply chain evolution from local to regional to global. The teamwork, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills he developed at Lehigh proved essential.
He stayed with Colgate his entire career. "It's a great company. Everyone shared the same vision — the belief in working together to achieve what was most important for our consumers and retailers."
Coming Full Circle
Even as Jim’s career advanced, Lehigh remained a constant.
As part of Colgate's recruitment team, he returned to campus to hire Lehigh graduates. "I worked with many Lehigh grads within the company," he says.
After retiring, Jim taught supply chain management at the university for four semesters and mentored students in the Accelerated Master's Program at the Rauch Business Center. Today, he volunteers as a career coach at a community college near his home in Connecticut.
When the opportunity arose to help raise funds for the Carol and John Covert Track and Field Pavilion, built in 2017, Jim was all in. Covert passed away in 2025.
"He was an amazing coach and individual," Jim says. "He understood that our academics were rigorous, and athletics were part of shaping who we would become. He knew it would all come together."
The Lehigh connection continues through his daughter, Brianne Davis '11, who designs stores for Madewell. His son, Matthew, attended Furman University and is a senior development manager for the Lux Wines division of Gallo.
Passing the Baton
For Jim, the decision to endow a scholarship is deeply personal.
"I could not have achieved what I have achieved had I not been given the opportunity," he says. "Everything traces back to that moment."
He and his wife, Anne, hope to provide the same access for future students.
"We want everyone with the skill set and desire to come to Lehigh to be able to do so," he says. While the scholarship will support engineering students, Jim hopes it remains open to anyone with drive and potential.
"I was blessed with an opportunity. If I can help someone else experience what I did at Lehigh, that's everything."
Every step Jim ran on his high school track carried him forward — from scholarship recipient to global executive, from student-athlete to mentor and donor. For Jim, success isn't measured in miles traveled or markets expanded, but in opportunities set in motion for someone else.
