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A Port Arthur woman who was the first female in Texas to be appointed to a major African Methodist Episcopal Church is set to be inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast this week.

The late Bishop Sarah Davis was also the third woman to be elected as bishop of the A.M.E church.

The induction ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday where there will be a short presentation about Davis’ life and accomplishments. The event is open to the public.

She is a native of Port Arthur, attending New Sixth Street Baptist Church as a child. She went on to serve as Student Council President at Abraham Lincoln High School where she went on to earn co-valedictorian honors with her twin sister for the class of ‘66. 

Davis was president of the Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, vice president of the World Methodist Council and the presiding prelate of the 16th Episcopal District (comprised of the Caribbean, Europe and Haiti) of the African Methodist Episcopal Church at the time of her death. Davis passed away in 2013.

Davis also founded the Bishop Sarah Frances Davis Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to help at-risk orphans and women in need of basic healthcare and opportunities.

She was featured in Ebony Magazine in 2004 as one of the “Top 50 most intriguing blacks” alongside other notable celebrities like Beyonce and Michael Jackson. 

The museum takes Hall of Fame suggestions on its website. Director Tom Neal says requirements for inductees are as high as ever. “The requirement for the hall are that you have reached the top and that you have come from this Gulf Coast crescent,” said Neal.

The Museum hopes that the Hall of Fame will inspire younger generations from the area to achieve greatness even if they don’t come from a big city.

“There are 243 examples of people that have gone on and done quite amazing things,” said Neal. 

The museum will host its next induction ceremony for Carol White on Jan. 25.