SUBMITTED REPORT
At just 22 years old, San Marcos High School graduate and Texas State alumnus Taryn Davis became a military widow when her husband, Cpl. Michael Davis, was killed in Iraq in 2007. The tragedy led Davis to start the American Widow Project (AWP), a nonprofit that offers peer-to-peer support to widows who lose a spouse serving in the United States armed forces.
Davis will speak at the Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) Foundation’s third annual Women’s Council Dinner on Sept. 18, sharing how, in the months after her husband’s death, she began traveling, attending survivor support groups and working on a film documenting the stories of military widows who had loved and tragically lost. More importantly, the documentary, which was officially launched in 2008 in the presence of military widows from across the country, sheds light on how each woman survived.
Since the group formed, Davis and the AWP have been recognized in various media outlets. The nonprofit founder was among the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011 and was named one of Newsweek magazine’s “150 Women Who Shake the World.” L’Oreal honored Davis as its National Woman of Worth in 2010.
She will speak at the third annual CMTC Foundation event from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hill Country Event Center, 107 Centerpoint Rd. in San Marcos.
“It is an honor to have Taryn Davis speak at our third annual Women’s Council Dinner,” said Jerilyn Miller, CTMC Foundation coordinator. “She is one of San Marcos’ most inspiring examples of perseverance and compassionate service.”
