Captain George “Pudgy” Davis was a career firefighter with the Eureka Fire Department and the first paid fireman in the City of Eureka. George began his career as a hose man and eventually worked his way up to captain. George is credited with starting the annual Eureka Fire Department toy drive, which has been ongoing since the 1920’s, and is the namesake of Eureka’s fireboat, The “Pudgy” Davis. Captain Davis passed away in 1947 after suffering from a series of paralytic strokes that followed a leg amputation necessitated by an injury sustained in the line of duty.