“The next day, he came to class and mentioned what a wonderful time he had at the performance,” Crawford said.

“[Then Davis said], ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that one of the people in this class was in the cast.’ He remembered my face from a sea of students, and I’ll always remember that.”

Also making an appearance were radio personalities Tom and Ray Magliozzi, hosts of the National Public Radio show “Car Talk,” for which Davis serves as a chemistry advisor.

“Jim appeared on our show a number of times,” Ray Magliozzi told the class. “He’s had more right answers than we have.”

Davis became involved in the show through a former student.

Davis told The Crimson that he was once consulted by the Magliozzi brothers when a caller described urinating into a car radiator in order to fill it up enough to drive home.

“Naturally I told them to flush the radiator,” Davis said.

Gregory C. Tucci, assistant director of undergraduate studies for chemistry, praised Davis for his dedication and teaching.

“He has an office here in the Science Center and that office door is ALWAYS open to students,” Tucci wrote in an e-mail message.

“He has 100 percent accessibility to chemistry majors and non-majors alike. We feel a very special person is leaving Harvard.”

Davis and his wife plan to live in Philadelphia and New York. Davis said he will be working to create a Web-based chemistry curriculum for use in community colleges.

—Staff writer Benjamin D. Margo can be reached at margo@fas.harvard.edu.