By Buck Wolf

March 12, 2002 --   If you know someone who would marry Robert Davis, let me know. I can use the money.

Tired of playing cupid for other people, Davis, a 54-year-old professional matchmaker from Philadelphia, says he is offering a $10,000 finder's fee to the person who introduces him to Ms. Right.

Scads of publicity-seeking Americans seem to be turning their lives into reality TV shows for some money and a split-second of fame. But in turning his search for a soul mate into a public challenge, Davis may be risking his career.

At least on paper, he seems to be a pretty good catch.

'It's Tacky to Hit On My Own Clients'

Davis is a decorated Vietnam War veteran, who's been awarded three Bronze Stars. He's also a member of the Mensa high-IQ society. For more than a decade, he's been self-employed as an executive headhunter and matchmaker.

Boasting that he's made love connections for CEOs, movie stars, heiresses and pro athletes, Davis has been featured on a variety of TV talk shows and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal.

"Why should I need help finding love?" Davis asks. "I'm not desperate. It's just hard to find the right match. I've done it for other people. Now, I'll let someone else do it for me.

"I'm always tempted at work," he says. "A lot of successful, beautiful women seek out my services. But I think it's kind of tacky to hit on my clients."

Davis was married briefly in his early 20s and a longtime relationship ended in a broken engagement in 1987. "I've learned from my mistakes," Davis says. "I was focused on serving my country and building a career when I was younger.

"Now I'm looking for a fiercely loyal yet independent woman, someone with stellar morals, not a buy-me, give-me, take-me, do-for-me princess who trades on her looks and thinks the world revolves around her."

Davis figures a $10,000 bounty for Ms. Right is a good deal. That's what his company, Mate-Search International, charges to set you up on 10 dates. "I'm certainly more expensive than others," he says. "But I deal with a certain clientele and I get results."