It was in the 1980s when former Bryan County Board of Education Chairman Eddie Warren first got to know Frances Meeks, the longtime local educator who died Monday at the age of 93.

Warren was then – and still is -- a businessman. Meeks, often referred to as “the First Lady of Bryan County Schools,” was the principal of the old Richmond Hill Elementary School, and she was fundraising for a project.

“When she came to you and asked you for something, you figured out a way to get it to her,” he said. “It was partly her personality, but also because she never asked for anything for administration. Everything she asked for, or wanted help doing, had something to do with children.

“That was her legacy,” he added. “She always put children first.”

By 2000, both Warren and Meeks, by then retired from 55 years of work in education, were first-time candidates running for a school board responsible for governing a system in a county that even then was growing fast, in large part due to its growing reputation for quality schools.

“We both started campaigning at the same time,” Warren said. “I backed her, she backed me, and I’m sure her backing me helped me a lot more than me backing her.”

Both were elected, and Meeks went on to serve two terms on the board before retiring in 2008 and ending a career in education that spanned more than half a century. Warren spent 18 years on the board, the last 12 as chairman, before deciding not to run again in 2018.

The next year, the school board announced it was naming its school Frances Meeks Elementary, and the $26 million facility opened in 2020. But the COVID pandemic kept the person for whom it was named from touring the facility until June 2021.

During a dedication ceremony to mark the occasion Meeks told a reporter not to “play this story up too big,” adding that she was overwhelmed by the tribute.

The decision to name the school was an exception to a district policy that prohibits buildings from being named after living people. It was the right decision, Warren said.

“I think she needed and deserved to have a building named after her,” he said. “I can’t think of anybody else in Bryan County I can say that about.”

During that 2021 dedication of FMES, Warren’s successor as chairman, Amy Murphy, called Meeks “a beacon of light in the foundation of our school system.”

On Monday, Murphy issued a statement on behalf of the Bryan County Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Paul Brooksher.

“It is with great sadness that the Bryan County Board of Education joins our community in mourning the passing of Mrs. Frances Meeks, ‘The First Lady of Bryan County Schools.’ Mrs. Meeks truly embodies the best of Bryan County Schools and our community. Her passion for students remains legendary and we are humbled by her legacy. Her life of service began first as a teacher, then principal, and later, in her two terms as a Board of Education member.”

The statement continued: “When meeting Mrs. Meeks, it didn’t take long to recognize her passion, strength, humility, tenacity, and love. We are grateful we were able to honor her legacy, which will remain enshrined in the hearts and minds of Bryan County families from the past, the present and the future.”

Meanwhile, Warren said he last saw Meeks a few years ago and they hugged. He noted that for many in Richmond Hill, Meeks is synonymous with schools in Bryan County.

“A lot of people knew her or knew of her, even if they didn’t go to school here,” he said. “Even before Frances Meeks Elementary was built, people had heard of her. She was definitely a one-of-a-kind educator.”

He added, “I think that all educators, no matter at what level, whether it’s a teacher’s aide or teacher or administrator or superintendent, whatever, everybody in education can use a little Frances Meeks in them.”