From student to staff: Marmion Loving Francis to be honored in MCC Hall of Fame
Life often unfolds in chapters and for Marmion Loving Francis, those chapters are clearly defined: growing up in West Point, rearing her family in Meridian, and finding her purpose at Meridian Community College.
Francis is one of four honorees who will be inducted into the MCC Foundation’s Hall of Fame, on March 5. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. in the McCain Theater in Ivy-Scaggs Hall. Other Hall of Fame recipients include James Carter, Wanda Dixon (posthumously), and Alice James.
With nearly 33 years of service to the College, Francis started at MCC in August 1991, working as the administrative assistant for institutional advancement. She left that full-time position in June 2021 and returned a few months later on a part-time basis taking on co-coordinator duties of the learning in retirement center Lifetime Quest and other tasks. She retired in July 2023.
“I loved every day at MCC. I especially loved being in the background and giving all of my energy to making the director’s (of institutional advancement) job easier,” she said.
Francis’s early years were shaped in her hometown of West Point, where she developed a love for learning; she studied at the University of Mississippi but didn’t finish her degree. Marriage and children became the next focus, embracing the role of a housewife, rearing her sons Lee, Martin, and Jason, and enjoying the life she built. But as time passed, Francis felt the pull of unfinished business - her education.
“I have always regretted not finishing college, so when the time was right, I took a summer course … World Lit taught by Dr. Joan Cunningham. Then Psychology, taught by Dr. James Whitley. Then I really took the plunge and took World Civ I and II, taught by Jimmie Evans. I dreaded doing the reading required, but I came away first in the class,” she said.
With her credits from Ole Miss and MCC, she gained enough to graduate, but in what field?
“I pestered Dr. Tommy McDonald (then dean of students) until he found a field for me to have completed. It was ‘Letters,’” Francis said. To this day, she believes she may be the only MCC graduate with that designation.
Walking across the stage in a cap and gown was one of her proudest moments. Her mother, sister, and close friends were there to cheer her on. Ralph Young, who was an MCC board of trustees member and Francis’ then employer, handed her the diploma, and Dr. Bill Scaggs, president of the College, shook her hand, both smiling broadly, she remembered.
After graduating, she knew MCC was where she wanted to work. But getting hired wasn’t easy; she applied for at least five positions without success. Two roles seemed promising – one in Information Services under Anne Dowdle and another in Student Services with Dr. McDonald. Neither worked out. Francis went home, frustrated, and spent the day working in her yard gardening.
Then on a Saturday night, her phone rang. It was a neighbor and former MCC employee who told her, “Marmion, it’s time for you to get out of the yard and go back to work.” That call led to Dowdle who needed a fill-in secretary. Dr. McDonald had taken her previous secretary, leaving the position open. “That’s how I finally got a job at the College, but not before I helped advertise the job and arrange for applicants to come in for their interviews,” Francis said.
“Yes, I had to apply and arrange for my own interview,” she added.
Over the years, she worked with four directors, Dowdle, Kathy Brookshire, Barbara Jones, and Dr. Leia Hill, who is currently the vice president for Institutional Advancement and executive director of the MCC Foundation. Each, she noted, brought their strengths to the Foundation.
Looking back, Francis defines success simply: “Find something you love to do, and you will never work a day in your life.” She discovered this from being a student to a staff member and her journey at MCC was more than a job – it was a calling.
And she answered it with heart, dedication, and enduring love for the college she called home.
For more information, visit meridiancc.edu/halloffame.