Hometown History #71: Frances Eddy King, Our Still-Honored Educator

Frances Eddy King, an educator at Franklin High School who died nearly a century ago, is regularly acknowledged with the annual award of a scholarship named in her honor. But few if any alive today knew or remember this woman who made such an impact on the town in her day.

Again, let us defer to the Sentinel writer of 1926 who left us many details about her and vivid impressions of her memorial events.

June 24, 1926

Friends Honor Memory of Miss Frances King

That love and reverence in which Miss Frances E. King was held in the community found expression Monday afternoon, at her funeral, held at her late home on High Street, when town officials, officials of the School Department, the high school faculty, members of the student body, former pupils of Miss King, and a large number of old friends gathered to pay their final tribute to her memory. There was another manifestation of the admiration entertained for the deceased, found in the wealth of beautiful floral tributes that rested on and about the casket and filed the room to overflowing. So great a company of mourners assembled that the house not accommodate everyone and many remained on the veranda and lawn during the services

Three Clergymen Officiate

Rev. Arthur W. Dycer, pastor of the First Congregational Church, of which Miss King has been a member since 1885, conducted the service, assisted by Rev. R.K. Marvin, pastor of Grace Universalist Church, Franklin and Rev. John Reid, formerly pastor of the local Congregational Church.

Rev. Mr. Reid paid a warm tribute to the deceased, telling of her Christian character and ways in which she found to exemplify her convictions; of her talents and success as a teacher of her interest in her pupils; and of her desire to be engaged in works for the advancement of the public good, as demonstrated by her zeal and administration of the Franklin Nursing Association, of which she was president.

Both Rev. Mr Dycer and Rev. Mr. Marvin spoke glowingly of Miss King, the latter speaking as a neighbor who knew fully of her devotion to her work in school and the town and its people.

Miss King passed away Friday morning at her home following a brief, critical illness. She had not been in good health for years due to diabetes, which ailment, together with pneumonia at the last, caused her death.

She was born in Franklin on Sept. 20, 1862, the daughter of the late Dr. George and Lucy Ann King. After her attendance at local public schools, she entered Bridgewater Normal School, where she trained herself for the teaching profession. For the past 40 years, she had been a teacher at Franklin high school. Maintained discipline. Many hundreds of pupils studied under her during these years and they....[responded] to the thoroughness of her calling. Always a good disciplinarian, Miss King rigidly maintained in her class undivided attention to the class at hand – mastering the matter under consideration.... and many of her former pupils were among her staunchest admirers, a tribute that must have been a comfort to her in life.

While Miss King’s greatest interest centered in her classroom and the work, she could accomplish there in molding young minds, she found time to interest herself in everything that pertained to the betterment of her home town.

This sterling element led Miss King to give liberally of her time and means to the invaluable work of the Franklin Nursing Association, of which she served as president from the time the organization was formed. The success of this organization is attributed to a large extent to her efforts, not only in administering its affairs, but maintaining and broadening the interest of other townspeople in the Association.

Church Attendance.

Religiously, Miss King found comfort and inspiration in the worship of the Congregational Church and she was an earnest and active worker in its behalf.

Socially, Miss King was a welcome guest in the homes of her friends and she also found much pleasure and enjoyment as a member of the Franklin Country Club.

Miss King is survived by one sister, Miss Fannie Farmer, of Sioux City, Ia.

Following her death students apparently established two awards, one was the Frances Eddy King Memorial Medal, apparently an honorific, which is last mentioned in the pages of the Sentinel in 1948 and, of course, the Frances Eddy King Memorial Scholarship, which continues to benefit students in the 21st
century.

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The First FHS Oskey, which was published two years after her death, was dedicated to her memory and contained further encomiums.