West Memphis school superintendent dies

UPDATE: Wednesday night, the WMSD school board appointed Assistant Superintendent Willie Harris as Interim Superintendent.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The West Memphis School District announced Tuesday that Superintendent Dr. Terrence Brown has died.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Superintendent Dr. Terrence A. Brown. Our West Memphis School District family is grieving, and we are asking for your thoughts and prayers as we navigate through this day and the days ahead,” said the West Memphis School District in a press release.

What was meant to be a routine school board meeting on Tuesday turned into a night of remembrance and honor for Dr. Brown.

“Visionary, comical, fun-loving and health conscious,” Dr. Kimberly Wolfe, President of the West Memphis school board said. “Those are the four adjectives I would use to describe him.”

Brown was named the new superintendent in May 2023 after a unanimous vote by the West Memphis school board. He previously worked as deputy superintendent for the Forrest City School District.

“We had a great educator who had a vision for our city to move our city forward,” Marco McClendon, the Mayor of West Memphis said. “He overcame a lot of obstacles during that process. We just had a great leader. It’s unfortunate that we lost him during this time.”

Mayor McClendon says he was just working with Dr. Brown last Friday and he is deeply saddened by his passing.

But city and school leaders agree that the best way to honor Dr. Brown would be to continue his legacy and the hard work he invested in the district.

“What does bring me hope and joy is the world and legacy that he left,” Dr. Wolfe said. “In his one year, he has accomplished so many things. One of the primary things is leading us through the strategic plan process. So, although he is not physically here with us, he’s left a strong legacy.”

Tuesday’s scheduled school board meeting has been postponed to Wednesday.

Brown’s cause of death has not been revealed to the public at this time.

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