Mamie Franks
OXFORD, Miss. – Mamie B. Franks, the first female registrar at the University of Mississippi, is being remembered as a trailblazer, mentor and caring administrator throughout the Ole Miss family. Franks, 84, died Wednesday (Feb. 15) at her home in Oxford after a long illness.
Beginning as an employee in the Student Counseling Center, Franks was promoted to associate registrar of admissions. She later became the registrar and was responsible for the computerization of the office’s operations as well as the campus credit union. An associate professor of education, Franks was also a member of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (Guaranteed Student Loans Programs).
“She was the finest mother you could have, the best friend you could have and one of the finest people you could ever meet,” said William Mark Franks of Oxford, the deceased’s son and an instructor of anthropology and sociology at the university. “My mother never preached her values to my sister (Nancy Elizabeth Franks Elam of Warner-Robbins, Ga.) and me; she lived them out in front of us.”
Born in Jackson, Franks grew up in Grenada, where she graduated from Grenada High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and history from Mississippi State College for Women (now Mississippi University for Women). Though Franks originally wanted to be a lab technician, her commitment to education led her to work as director of Christian education at Booneville First United Methodist Church and as a teacher in the Prentiss County School System.
A victim of domestic violence for several years, Franks divorced and moved with her two children to Oxford. She enrolled in the UM Graduate School, where she earned master’s and doctoral degrees in education and higher educational leadership, respectively. In the process of furthering her education, Franks began the career path that culminated in her attainment of the registrar’s position.
“My mother often said, ‘When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.’ She made a lot of lemonade,” said Mark Franks, who earned an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop. “She expected a lot from us, but she always supported us in everything that we did.”
As an administrator, Franks is remembered as having been no-nonsense, hands-on and firm in her leadership style. Her strong work ethic, dedication to students and career achievements earned her the admiration and respect from those who worked with her.
“Dr. Franks chaired a number of important committees at the university,” said Gerald Walton, provost emeritus, vice chancellor emeritus of academic affairs and professor emeritus of English. “Whenever we might get off track in one of those meetings, she would often say, ‘Meanwhile, back at the ranch …’
“I will always remember her as being competent, doing her job well and working well with other people. She left a legacy of caring for university students and their welfare.”
Franks’ office was primarily staffed with women, whom she was known to treat as equals rather than subordinates. Onice Carter, branch manager of the Ole Miss and Oxford branches of the Mississippi Federal Credit Union, worked closely with Franks.
“She was my first full-time boss and a great mentor for me,” Carter said. “I learned so much from her. She worked beside me every night to help me learn my job.”
Many UM administrators credit Franks for nurturing their careers. One of them is Thomas ‘Sparky’ Reardon, vice chancellor of student affairs.
“She was a brilliant woman who could come up with simple, manageable solutions to very complex issues,” Reardon said. “She saw straight through any type of hypocrisy and wouldn’t compromise her values when she felt she was right.”
A former president of the Southern Registrars Association, Franks was recognized nationally for her effectiveness in administration. During her UM tenure, the registrar’s office always ended the fiscal year under budget, according to her son.
“During her tenure as registrar, Dr. Franks was regarded as one of the Top 10 admissions officers in the Southeast,” Walton said.
Though Franks received numerous career honors during her lifetime, she refused to brag about them – not even when she wrote her own obituary prior to her passing.
“She exemplified what it is to truly serve people. I watched my mother work very hard to help people at great sacrifice to herself,” Mark Franks said. “Even though we were poor ourselves, she would hire other people to work for her and pay them from what little she had because she wanted to help them while allowing them to maintain their dignity.”
Known as a fierce but fair competitor, Franks enjoyed archery, riflery, golf, chess, tennis and swimming. She was also an accomplished pianist and singer who played organ faithfully at her church for many years. Mark Franks said his mother insisted that all children learn chess and music, things she felt developed the mind, taught life lessons and developed confidence in the creative spirit and the intellect.
“Mother always had people from every ethnicity in our home on a regular basis. She taught us that all cultures have value and deserve to be respected,” Mark Franks said. “She also read us Shakespeare as toddlers and let us listen to all kinds of music.”
Coleman Funeral Home of Oxford was in charge of local arrangements, with no memorial service planned. Memorials can be made to the Oxford-University United Methodist Church Building Fund, 424 South 10th Street, Oxford, MS 38655. For online condolences, visit http://www.colemanfuneralhome.com/