Kathryn SHEHANE

1927 - 2015

SHEHANE, Kathryn Kathryn Milner Shehane, 87, of Tifton (formerly of Douglasville) died Saturday, January 24, 2015, at Tift Regional Medical Center. She had lived in Tifton for the past five years. Funeral services will be held Friday, January 30 at 3:00 pm in the Heritage Baptist Church, 8800 Rose Ave., Douglasville, Georgia. Interment will follow in Sunrise Memorial Gardens, Hwy., 78, Douglasville with Jeff Mashburn, Randy Brittain, Sam Land, Horace LaFavor, Larry Marvin, Joe Howard, and Mike Yancey serving as Pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 11:00 - 2:00 pm also Friday, January 30 at Heritage Baptist Church. Officiating will be Dr. Woodrow Hudson, Rev. Terry Worthan, Rev. Ikey Watson and Rev. Gene Fields. The former members of her girl's basketball teams will serve as honorary pallbearers. Kathryn Milner Shehane was born July 1, 1927 in River View, Alabama to the late Eva Milner Shehane and James Vernon Lee Shehane. Her mother was a native of that area; her father was born in Harris County, GA. She attended two years of kindergarten and nine years of public school in their hometown and finished three years of high school at Valley Vocational High School in Fairfax, Alabama. Kathryn's mother became a widow when she was eight years old and had to work very hard to support them, but when asked by Kathryn if she could go to college, Ms. Shehane replied " I think we can do that". Kathryn earned her B.S. in Education from Jacksonville Teachers' College and majored in English. She obtained her first teaching position in Lafayette, Alabama, teaching English and Physical Education for three years; however she maintained an interest in high school sports for girls. Alabama did not permit girls in interscholastic athletics at the time, so she applied for a teaching position in Georgia. She interviewed in three school systems and decided to coach (B team girls' basketball) at Douglas County High School, Douglasville. Kathryn coached ten years and made two trips to the state tournament where her teams won their game each time. Her teams' best season was 21-1 in 1958. Her interests were beginning to focus on Counseling so she obtained a Master's Degree from Auburn University, majoring in Guidance Counseling. The next step was to obtain a Specialist Degree from Georgia Southern College. After a combination of teaching and counseling for several years, her interests in administration culminated in adding leadership to her Specialist Degree through more study at West Georgia College and Georgia State University. Her assignments were at Turner Middle School in Lithia Springs (nine years) and Fair Play Middle School (1 1/2 years). After she left Fair Play Middle School she was elected Douglas County School Superintendent (1980-1988). After four years of retirement, she ran for and won the Superintendent position for a third term in Douglas County (1992-1996). She was the last elected Superintendent in Douglas County. The position is now an appointed one. Kathryn Shehane's career in education spanned 44 years. She was named Douglas County Citizen of the Year in 1995 by the Chamber of Commerce, was a member of the Board of Directors at West Central Technical College, the Douglas County Retardation Association and the Douglas County Public Library Board. Auburn University named her to its list of 100 most influential women graduates. Miss Shehane was preceded in death by two sisters and brothers-in-law, Edna Shehane and Winifred Williams and Glennie (Dee) and Homer Sands along with several nephews and nieces. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Heritage Baptist Church Building Fund, 8800 Rose Avenue, Douglasville, Georgia 30134 or the Public Education Trust of Douglas County c/o Douglas County School System, 9030 Highway 5, Douglasville, Georgia 30135. You may share your thoughts and memories online at www.hightowersmemorial.com. Hightower's Memorial Chapel of Douglasville has charge of the arrangements. 770-489-2818