Lee County’s Queenie Boyd: A legacy of good and grace
One longtime member of the Lee County School District’s
Board of Trustees most often answers to “mama” in education circles and among
her fellow school board members throughout the state. The most accurate
description of her might be her first name – Queenie.
For the past 36 years, Queenie M. Boyd has served her local school
board with stately distinction as both chairperson and vice chairperson. Boyd
served so well, she was elected Region 6 Director on the South Carolina School
Boards Association’s (SCSBA) Board of Directors in 2006, representing
Chesterfield, Darlington, Kershaw, Lee and Marlboro counties.
She entered the executive board rotation some time later and
became president of the Association in 2017.
“It (serving on the state board) gave me a little more knowledge about what boards are to be throughout,” said Boyd. “So many times on the local board, we think it’s just this, but when you have the opportunity to go from one board status to another board status and even to national, it (is) a plus to me.”
Boyd said she always brought back nuggets of board governance strategies to share with her local board, many of which they still employ today.
The stimulus of her service as a school board member and her
lifetime commitment to every sector of her place of residence, Lee County, has
perhaps been her God-first mantra. Reared by her great-grandparents in the same
place where she now serves, Boyd says her passion for community organizing and
engagement originates from home. Growing up on the farm was void of much, said
Boyd, but there was one thing which was ever present, without a doubt – love.
“Being raised by them as great-grandparents, the expectation
was that you’re going to do good, You’ve got to do good,” said Boyd.
Doing good to her great-grandparents meant making a positive
impact on the well-being of the citizenry by showing forth love and respect for
all people, said Boyd.
An employee of REXAM Beverage Cans for 34 years, an
accomplished coalition-builder and community leader in Lee County, Boyd has
worked to bridge gaps between the education, faith and government sectors for
decades. It is common for education meetings to be held at Liberty Hill
Missionary Baptist Church where she is a member, or at any other church with
which she is closely connected within the county. It is also common to find the
faith-based community volunteering in the educational system and in government,
oftentimes at the request of Boyd.
“Your whole heart has to be in it,” said Boyd of her board
and community service. “I’ve got to speak for these children. I’ve got to make
sure that parents understand … (we are) advocates.”
A self-avowed bashful person, Boyd says she is naturally
quiet and a contemplative listener.
“I can open up, but if you notice at board meetings, I don’t
say a lot because I am taking in and learning,” Boyd said. “But, you have a
right and are supposed to ask questions.”
The question she is being asked most these days is why she
has decided not to run for re-election. After 36 years, Boyd’s service ended in
November, while her legacy lives on in her community and leaps forth through
her offspring.
She and her husband, Alexander, who served on city council
and as mayor of Bishopville for nearly a decade have four children – one is a
principal, one an engineer, one is in business and the other is a pharmacist.