Mary Edwards has always loved the Columbia School District.
“The 58-year-old Columbia resident retired this week after decades of serving as the superintendent’s secretary and spending nearly all of her life involved with the schools.
“This is my life … this is my home,” she said as she sat in her office earlier this week. “I started school when I was five years old. Mrs. Jeanne Willoughby was my first-grade teacher at Columbia Primary School. I graduated in 1977 from Columbia High School.”
Edwards has been behind the scenes at the Columbia School District and has worked since 1985 for it.
“When my daughter started school in 1985, Mrs. Jeanne Willoughby was the principal at Columbia Primary School. I accepted an assistant position and in 1992, Dr. Hugh Dickens, superintendent, hired me,” she said. “I’ve been in the Columbia School District Administration Building ever since that time.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working directly with five superintendents, Dickens, Dr. Charles Lyle, Dr. Thomas Blakeney, Dr. Marietta James-Mattox and Mr. Jason Harris.”
Her main duty has been to help the superintendent and school board with clerical services and meet and greet people who come to see the superintendent.
“We always want to follow a chain of command because we want to know if you’ve discussed it with the right people before it gets to the level where you want to discuss it with the superintendent,” she said. “You always want to listen to people and hear their concerns or ideas and even if they have a problem and want to resolve it within the Columbia School District, we can work through it.”
Edwards duties were numerous in her job, but one thing remained paramount for her through her decades of service.
“It’s all about the children,” she said. “Even though I do not work directly with the students, everything I do to assist the superintendent is related to the success of the students and the Columbia School District. I’m also the one who prepares the agenda for the school board meetings, so I have to compile the information and follow policies and procedures and have it prepared, so when the superintendent gets there before the school board and presents the recommendations that they are on paper and in an order that will be easy to follow to take care of the business and matters of the Columbia School District.”
Edwards has lived in Columbia for her entire life. Her husband, Johnny Edwards, is the maintenance supervisor for the district. She has worked for more than 31 years with the schools and said she is retiring to have a more flexible schedule for family and others.
“I’ve worked since I was old enough,” she said. “My first job was at JC Penney’s as a salesclerk and then catalog supervisor. Catalog orders were called in or placed in person and then electronically submitted.”
Edwards has one daughter, Jacklyn Goar, and three grandchildren.
“The day that I became a GiGi – that was a grand moment,” she said. “I cannot express how special the day that my grandson was born and I have two granddaughters, also.Each’s personality is different and special, and so grand to me.
“My parents, Frank and Margaret Lee, instilled the importance of family values and encouraged me to always do my best. I have one brother, Frank Lee Jr.; and four sisters, Janice Bagley, Martha Hutchins, Sammie Champagne and Sara Watts (my twin). I have a lot of good memories of family gatherings and we continue to get together to celebrate special occasions and sometimes for no reason.”
Edwards plans to make more memories in retirement.
“I enjoy watching my grandson play baseball and basketball and watching my granddaughters play softball, sing and dance,” she said. “They keep me busy. Being a GiGi of three, sometimes their parents need someone to go in a different direction … it may be a school event, ballgame, or party scheduled on the same day. My Expedition, I refer to as my bus, is always ready to go.”
Edwards said that leaving the Columbia School District was a very emotional decision.
“I’ve cried and prayed a lot,” she said. “I’m at peace with it and I feel that it is the right direction for me to take at this point in my life. I’ve loved it. I do love Columbia Schools.”
Pictured Above: Mary Edwards has spent most of her life in the Columbia School District. | Photo by Mark Rogers
