Harry W. Meredith

Duane's take

Here's my telling of the official marker for Harry W. Meredith, standing in Wood County, Texas. Now settle in, because this is a story about a man who just kept giving, long after he was gone to give it.

Harry Meredith was born in Kentucky in 1871. He went off to business college in Illinois, got himself some practical education, and for a while back in his hometown of Leitchfield he was running a brick plant. Owner and operator both.

Not a bad start. But somewhere along the way, Harry Meredith looked west, and by 1907 he and his wife, Mary Henri Hunter, had made their way to Mineola, Texas. In 1908, Harry entered the banking business, associating himself with Mineola State Bank.

He rose to president of that institution and held that post until 1932, when the bank merged with First National Bank. At that point Harry didn't walk away from finance. He became a director and then chairman of the board, and he held that chairmanship for the remainder of his life.

During the early 1920s, the Merediths built a home right here at this site, and Harry served the city as mayor from 1920 to 1922. Now, 1932 was not a simple year for Harry Meredith. The bank merger was one thing, but that same year he also lost Mary Henri Hunter, his first wife.

He would marry again, in 1943, to Daisy Warren Nelson. Daisy died in 1954. Then Harry married a third time, to Jennie Burge Hurdle.

When Jennie died in 1958, Harry did something remarkable. He organized the Meredith Foundation, built to fund civic projects in Mineola for the use and enjoyment of its citizens. And here's the thing about Harry Meredith: his impulse toward generosity didn't begin with that foundation.

Back in the 1940s, he had already given money to build two dormitories at the Methodist Children's Home in Waco. The man had a long habit of reaching into his own pocket for the benefit of others. Over the years, the Meredith Foundation helped build and operate Mineola's public library and its civic center.

Funds went toward the youth of the city, toward the arts, toward churches, among other charitable causes. Harry Meredith died in 1962. He was born in 1871, and he is buried in the city cemetery.

The marker that commemorates him was placed in 2001. Now, you might think the story ends at the cemetery gates. But that's exactly where this particular story refuses to stop.

The Meredith Foundation keeps working. The library is still open. The civic center still stands.

The youth of Mineola are still benefiting from a Kentucky-born brick man who settled in East Texas, ran a bank, served as mayor, and then spent the last chapter of his life arranging to keep on giving after he no longer could. That's a legacy you can't put a date on.

What the marker says

Kentucky native Harry Meredith (1871-1962) attended business college in Illinois and was owner-operator of a brick plant in his hometown of Leitchfield before moving to Mineola, Texas, with his wife, Mary Henri Hunter, by 1907. Meredith entered the banking business in 1908, when he became associated with Mineola State Bank. He served as its president until the financial institution merged with First National Bank in 1932, at which time he became a director and served as chairman of the board for the remainder of his life. During the early 1920s, the Merediths built a home at this site and Harry served as the city's mayor (1920-1922). After his first wife's death in 1932, Meredith married Daisy Warren Nelson (d. 1954) in 1943. Harry Meredith's legacy of philanthropy began in the 1940s, when he gave money to build two dormitories at the Methodist Children's Home in Waco. After his third wife, Jennie Burge Hurdle, died in 1958, Harry organized the Meredith Foundation to fund a variety of civic projects in Mineola for the use and enjoyment of its citizens. Over the years, the Meredith Foundation has helped to build and operate the public library and the civic center. Funds have also been used for the benefit of Mineola's youth, the arts and churches, among other charitable causes. Harry Meredith died in 1962 and is buried in the city cemetery. His significant impact on the city's life, however, continues through the work of the foundation. (2001)