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Davis at this point was in his mid-eighties. He had retired ten years earlier in 1982. What had been his role and his function vis-à-vis the union in that last decade?

In the last decade, Davis' health had deteriorated, and he had no position in the union, because he was awaiting the merger with SEIU and he would become the head of the hospital section and therefore did not run for president of 1199. That's when Doris came in to fill that vacancy, and he recommended Doris. So at that time he had no official position.

Was he restless? Was he unhappy with his situation?

Because of his health, he was restless in the sense that he couldn't do anything to have any impact on it. People would come to visit him to tell him, but it was difficult. Jesse came regularly. Arlene came.

Jesse Olson?

Jesse Olson, Arlene Ezratty, other people came regularly, but could spend just a few minutes because he didn't even have the strength to listen. He was really in bad shape.

Did you see a lot of him during that decade and talk to him?

Since I lived fairly close, I would make a point to see him every few days, just to come by. Julia, his wife, was having great difficulty taking care of him. To get him up the stairs to sleep was a major undertaking that took a great deal of time, get him down, get him dressed. That's where it had reached.

At that point I thought that perhaps Martin Cherkasky, whom he greatly admired from the period of organizing Montefiore in 1958, and they had similar progressive views on many issues and were --

Cherkasky in 1958 was the [cross-talk]

He was the director of Montefiore Hospital and was instrumental, after his board voted to give us the right to an election, was instrumental in carrying forth to negotiate a contract with us.

And that was our first hospital contract?

Our first hospital contract, and one of the major factors -- it's in the oral history -- was a series of letters that Davis wrote personally to Martin. That's in the oral history.