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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) |
