Daniel Prince
Hart was instrumental in helping to desegregate the state's schools
In a statement posted Friday afternoon to its Facebook page, the Union County School District commented on the death of one of its school board members, Frank M. Hart. They said, “It’s always a difficult time when you lose an essential part of your family, and that’s exactly what our school district is experiencing with the loss of Mr. Frank Hart. Mr. Hart was a big supporter of our entire district- students, staff and the community. He had a wealth of knowledge and insight that was very valuable to our school board and a warrior for education. Mr. Hart’s experience, support and most of all his love for doing the best for our school district will be greatly missed. Our sincere condolences go out to the Hart family as we pray for the comfort you need during this difficult time.”
As WBCU News reported last Friday, Hart died Thursday at the age of 96, just two days after his wife Nell passed away. According to his obituary, Hart was valedictorian of the class of 1944 at Kelly-Pinckney High School. He attended the University of South Carolina and Howard College of Alabama as a WWII Naval Aviation Corps Cadet. He graduated from Clemson after the war with a master’s degree in agricultural education. He served as assistant superintendent of the Epworth Children’s Home in Columbia. He was commissioned as a naval officer during the Korean War and remained in the US Navy Reserves until retiring at the rank of Commander.
On this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it is important to note the role that Hart played in helping to integrate South Carolina schools, first volunteering to become the replacement principal at Rivers High School, saying it was the right thing to do. The school had been selected as the starting point of desegregating South Carolina’s public schools, and many of the state’s school administrators had resigned in protest. Hart moved his family across the state as he helped other public-school districts integrate throughout the upcountry. In 1970, he was hired as the Superintendent of Schools in Marion County to integrate one of the last school districts in the state. He served in Marion until retiring in 1988. His obituary notes that he identified the barriers facing low-income school districts and championed much-needed equity funding to raise the standard of education for South Carolina’s rural school children, something that would become his legacy.
Funeral services for Frank M. Hart will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 22, at Grace United Methodist Church, with burial to follow at Union Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. and again following the service.