Dr. Walter Davis has led the Linden Public School District with great distinction.

His leadership fostered an atmosphere of trust and confidence, which was apparent in the board&8217;s quick and unanimous decision to accept his proposal after announcing his retirement.

In a letter announcing his decision to step down on June 30, Davis recommended that Assistant Superintendent Scott Collier be named his interim replacement for the next year.

Collier will step in to lead the district and act as acting principal at Linden Elementary School. His current position will be eliminated.

We hope that the district will move quickly to name a new principal at LES, but we think giving Collier a chance to prove himself as the head man is a good decision. After all, he seems to have Davis&8217; vote of support, and that says a lot.

Davis is the kind of man who stepped up in the middle of the school year to take over duties at the elementary school when the principal left. This is leadership by doing, and it is the best kind.

Davis has led a district that has surpassed academic expectations and been named one of the state&8217;s best districts. He has done this while leading a district that does not have the same financial opportunities as its sister district in Demopolis.

Those who have served with and under Davis praised him as a committed leader who genuinely cared about the district and the school.

His legacy will be one of academic excellence, and quite possibly the success of a man he has mentored and ultimately named as the next leader of the district.