Alexander-Davey has been deeply interested in Russia and its history since high school. A 20th Century world history teacher who focused on the Russian Revolution particularly sparked Alexander-Davey's interest. "I found it fascinating, though I find it difficult now, to characterize that fascination," Alexander-Davey wrote in his personal statement for his Fulbright Fellowship.
A Russian and ancient Greek double major, Alexander-Davey lived in the Russian portion of Porter House for three years. In addition to his plans to perform research next year in Russia, Alexander-Davey did a substantial amount of research at the College.
He wrote a thesis entitled "Plato, Tolstoy & the Truth: Tolstoy's Literary Adaptations of Plato's Theories of Memory, Death and Love" under the direction of Professor of English and Russian Dale Peterson. His thesis compared the moral doctrines of Plato and Tolstoy. According to Alexander-Davey, he was particularly interested in this topic because of his interest both in Tolstoy's theories of personal morality and in the Westernizer Slavophile debate.
Of everything at the College, Alexander-Davey says he will most miss the Russian and classics departments because of the composition of professors and students. He also noted the value of the free instrumental and choral classical music concerts on campus.
Alexander-Davey is no stranger to life in Russia. He won a Class of '54 Commitment to Teaching Summer Fellowship from the College and went to a school in St. Petersburg to teach English.
He also spent the fall of his junior year studying in St. Petersburg, Russia. "At first, I was shocked at the omnipresence of English and American style advertising on the streets of St. Petersburg and on Russian television," he wrote in his personal statement. "But it was not long before I understood that this was merely a facade. Russia is still assuredly its own country. ... There were some discussions I had with my host family and new acquaintances which I could not imagine having back home."