Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-17
DR.. FRANK HENRY GAINES,
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF
AGNES SCOTT, PASSES AWAY

afternoon at a private sanitarium
after an illness Of As hours.
A few weeks ago he returned
from months vacation in Florida,
apparently much improved in health
and strength. He resumed his &C
tivities at the college with vigor
and enthusiasm. Last Thursday he
consulted his physician and was ad
vised to go at once to sanitarium.
His heart was seriously affected.
This and other complications de,
veloped rapidly, and yesterday morn.
ing it was realized that he could not
live.
DR.. Gaines was born In the town
Of Tellico Plains, Tenn, in 1852, the
son Of John Rhea and Sarah Rice)
Gaines. On his fathers side he came
Of a family distinguished in the an.
mails of Virginia. 1t gave to the
war of independence the noted pa
triot and jurist of the revolution,
Edmund Pendleton, and at later
period, General Edmund Pendleton
Gaines, a gallant officer of the War
Of 1872, who earned the soubriquet
Of the Hero of Fort Erie" On his
mothers side his family was re.
nowned for it's contributions to the
Presbyterian pulpit and it's long
line of educators.
Served AS Pastor
DIR. Gaines, after receiving a
thorough preparatory education. en-
tered Cumberland university and re-
ceived his A. B. degree in 1870. From
there he went to Union Theological
seminary, then located at Hempden-
Sidney, Va, and received his B. d.
degree in 1876. During that year
he was ordained to the Presbyterian
ministry and Immediately entered
upon the passionate of two churches
in Kentucky, at Clintonville and
Hopewell. From 1878 to 1884 he was
pastor Of Hebron church in Augusta
county, Virginia. From 1884 to 1888
he was pastor Of Failing Springs
church in Rock Bridge county in
that state.
In 1883, DIR. Gaines gave UP
the pastorate in Virginia last
mentioned above and accepted
call to the Decatur, Pres.
bytarian church, where early in
the course of his work he was des-
tined to lay the foundation of one
Of the south sgreatest institutions
of higher learning.
Led Distinguished Flock
In his new pastorate he found
congregation of 238 members,
among whom were a number of the
leading men of Georgia, such as
General John B. Gordon, Colonel
George w. Scott, Colonel Milton A.
Gambler and j. w. kirkpatrick. Al
that time the population of Deca-
tur was only 1900, and the town
was connected with Atlanta by the
Georgia railroad only, the trolley
line not having been built. In the
course Of his career, DR.. Gaines
lived to see the town of Decatur
and the city of Atlanta literally
grow together until today they form
a continuous community inter-
connected by two trolley lines and
by numerous highways.
Within few months he had be-
come convinced of two things
first, that the congregation of which
he was pastor, under the leadership
of its very able session, would I'm.
dertake any Christian work which
might commend itself to them; Sec
ond, that there was a great and
recognized need for a school in De
catur.
DR.. Gaines had been more and
more impressed for several years
with the Importance of Christian
education, especially for girls. He
began discussing privately vita
the leaders of his church and the
community in general, the possibili.
ty of establishing a school of this
character. His suggestions were re-
ceiVed with immediate favor, with
the result that on July II, 1889. be-
fore he had been in his rev pas
torate six months, a meeting was
held in his study, and then and
there Agnes Scott college came in
to being.
Colonel George w. Scott, a splen.
did citizen, a devoted Christian, and
a man Of wealth and public spirit,
offered the resolution adopted at
that meeting ITO establish at once
a school of high character" AS
soon as possible a charter was OBJ
tanned Incorporating the institution
under the name of Decatur Female
Seminary DR.. Gaines was appointed
to visit Virginia to engage teachers.
After diligent search and inquiry
he arranged with Miss Nannette
Hopkins to become principal and
Miss Matte E. Cook to become as
sistant principal. A subscription of
$4,000 was raised, a building rented
canvass of the town made for
pupils, and in September, 1889, the
seminary opened.
Under the charter the pastor OF
the Decatur Presbyterian church
was ex-offico chairman of the board
and in general charge of the school.
This arrangement went on until
1897, when. Colonel Scott was made
chairman and DR.. Gaines secretary,
his duties as head of the school max
IIlS IL duV4SdUle u EelAeNS Hill VI CnS
additional responsibility Of the chair
manship. Colonel Scott in the mean
time had made his great gift of the
present site, with fine building and
equipment, of a total valuation of
SIP, 500. The name had been
changed to Agnes Scott Institute in
memory of Colonel Scott's mother.
DR.. Gaines in 1898 had resigned as
pastor of the Decatur Presbyterian