Davis Young Paschall was the twenty-second president of William & Mary from August 16, 1960 until his retirement in August 1971. Paschall graduated from William & Mary in 1932 with a degree in history. While a student his activities included serving as treasurer of the Clayton-Grimes Biological Club (founded in 1921) in 1930-1931 (see the 1931 Colonial Echo). He earned master's degrees in history and government from William & Mary as well, and completed a doctorate in education at the University of Virginia. Upon enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he trained at the Virginia Military Institute and the Naval School of Communications at Harvard.

After the war, Paschall served as principal of the high school in Victoria, Virginia, and held a position in the state Department of Education, directing teacher education programs. In 1957, Gov. Thomas B. Stanley appointed Paschall as State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Virginia. Paschall resigned as Superintendent of Public Instruction in Virginia in 1960 to become the president at his alma mater. An ex officio member of the Board of Visitors of all state-supported colleges and universities in Virginia, Paschall was the recipient of many awards for service and dedication. They include the Alpha Beta Distinguished Service Award by the Division Superintendents of Virginia Public Schools in 1959, the William & Mary Society of the Alumni Medallion for Service in 1968, and the first William & Mary Omicron Delta Kappa Distinguished Lifetime Service Award in 1998. Paschall is also credited with establishing the Thomas Jefferson Award presented on Charter Day, and the Heritage Fellow Award - both of which recognize faculty excellence in teaching. Paschall died on October 25, 2001 at his home in Williamsburg at the age of 90.