Quote:
Originally Posted by InsideOut
Thanks PeeWee! Rob & I just have one question..why would he ever have wanted to change his name from Davis?
Shari
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Shari/Rob
If everything was equal and on a level playing field Wally might have remained a Davis.
With his parents divorced at the age thee in 1899, and his mother remarrying a few years later, he was probably adopted. His mother would be responsible for allowing the change, since Wally was too young to contest or consent.
One of the indicators that he was probably adopted was his selective service card. It required his legal name, which was Wallace Merle Davis.
One can weave a tale or story that the change was made because of Carrie Biswell Byam's divorce from Bert Byam in 1899. A bitter feeling may have guided this part of Wally's history. There may be several other reasons and not this one.
There maybe many reasons for him to retain the name Davis until after he graduated from Stanford. Again speculate that with Dave Davis and his mother deceased he was able to choose his birthright. The specific reason is not known. You can speculate that he retained the Davis surname for financial reasons. Who knows?
He did, after graduation from Stanford, change his surname back to his birth name Byam.
The name change-change-change is another of those stories of Wally's life.