Trapper Jack

Originally published in Reflections Vol.14, No.2, | Written By April Trapagnier

For more than five decades, Jack Douglas—better known as "Trapper Jack"—has been the Lowcountry's go-to man when wild things wander too close. From alligators on golf courses to coyotes in backyards, Jack has answered thousands of calls across coastal Georgia with the same fearless resolve: "I fear the Lord. I don't fear an animal."

Now in his eighties, the seasoned trapper still keeps a busy schedule, often working with game wardens to relocate wildlife rather than destroy it. His career has tallied an estimated 15,000 alligator captures, though his respect for the creatures runs deep. "They'll never love you," he says. "They love that you have food. When you don't—you are the food."

Raised on Colonel's Island, Jack learned early from his grandmother—an expert marsh hen hunter—how to read the rhythms of the marsh. Those lessons carried him through a lifetime spent outdoors, from his National Guard years to his current days helping communities live safely alongside nature.

He's survived close calls, tangled ropes, and even impalement by a stick while rescuing a gator on Fort Stewart. Yet his favorite hunts, he admits, often involve wild boar or the cunning coyotes that challenge his skill.

Jack and his wife, Amy, met more than 50 years ago, when a baby hog he'd befriended on a North Carolina beach introduced them. "That little pig changed my life," he laughs.

Still trapping, still storytelling, Trapper Jack stands among the fabled characters who will go down in coastal Georgia's history—a living legend whose life reminds us that respect, courage, and a touch of grit never go out of style.

Frances Meeks
Education's Storied First Lady

Originally published in Reflections Vol.16, No.4 | Written By Beth Odom

Few names in Bryan County inspire as much admiration as Frances Meeks—the woman whose grace and guidance shaped generations of local students and educators.

Born in 1932 in Rebecca, Georgia, Frances Lane Meeks was the eldest of seven and the daughter of a teacher and a farmer. Education was more than a calling; it was a family creed. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1953, she began teaching Home Economics and Science, unknowingly setting the course for a lifetime of leadership in education.

When Frances married Walter Meeks and moved to his hometown of Richmond Hill, she found herself in a place that would become both her mission field and her legacy. From her early days teaching seventh grade in the old Richmond Hill School to eventually leading as principal and later serving on the Bryan County Board of Education, Mrs. Meeks helped guide the community through remarkable growth and transformation.

Her leadership was defined by faith, discipline, and an unwavering belief that schools thrive when people take care of each other first. Colleagues like Dahlia Hood, Dr. June Baylor, and Dr. Sallie Brewer joined her in building what would become one of Georgia's most respected school systems.

Affectionately called Bryan County's First Lady of Education—a title first coined by Coach Pat Rossiter—Frances left her mark not just on policies and buildings, but on people. In 2021, that legacy was cemented when a long-standing bylaw was lifted, allowing the newest elementary school in Richmond Hill to bear her name. Frances Meeks Elementary now stands as a living tribute to her lifelong commitment to learning, leadership, and love for her community.

As Mrs. Meeks once said, "I have endeavored to bloom where I was planted, and to teach those with whom I worked that we take care of each other first, so that we can take care of the children best."

Here's to the First Lady of Education in Bryan County—one of our most fabled and forever figures.

Lee Irvin Blige
The Mayor 0f 144

Originally published in Reflections Vol.15, No.5 | Written By Julie Osteen Seckinger

If Richmond Hill had an unofficial mayor, it would surely be Lee Irvin Blige—known to most simply as Lee Irvin—the ever-present smile perched at the picnic table outside the Shell station on Highway 144. From sunrise to sunset, his red hat and easy wave have greeted generations of neighbors, travelers, and friends.

Born and raised in Richmond Hill, Lee grew up during a simpler time, when a day's work meant cutting wood for heat, fishing the creeks off Martin Trail, and helping his family make ends meet. He learned early the value of perseverance, faith, and humor—qualities that would define the man he became. With encouragement from his teachers and Principal Roger Jesup, Lee turned his hard work into opportunity, eventually becoming a homeowner before finishing high school and marrying his sweetheart, Rosa Houston, the second runner-up for Miss Richmond Hill.

Life took him to Savannah and North Carolina, where he built a career in research and development before returning home after Rosa's passing. Back in Richmond Hill, Lee's "drive to have" turned into a "drive to be." He found purpose not in possessions, but in people—mentoring youth, tending gardens, swapping stories, and teaching lessons that reached far beyond basketball courts and flower beds.

From helping neighbors fix their yards to giving local kids a dose of "real-life education," Lee became the heart of the community. Whether offering wisdom to the Henderson boys, sharing laughs with Donna and Jimmy Norris, or catching rides home by flicking his lighter in the night, Lee built bridges everywhere he went—between old Richmond Hill and new, between generations, and between people who might not otherwise have crossed paths.

Those who know him describe him as equal parts philosopher and comedian, gardener and guide. His secret, he says, is simple: "Even when you feel bad, you gotta keep moving. It may be gloomy, cloudy, rainy, thundering, miserable—but another day is on the other side, with sunshine."

Today, as steady as the tides, Lee Irvin remains a fixture at his picnic-table perch—an anchor of calm, conversation, and connection. He's one of those fabled characters who will go down in history, not because he held office, but because he held a community together with a smile.

Angus McLeod
100% Pure Angus

Originally published in Reflections Vol.17, No.4 | Written By Rachael Bell

Never a dull moment.

Behind every good story, there's a storyteller—and around here, that storyteller has always been Angus McLeod.

With a quick wit, magnetic charm, and an endless catalog of tales, Angus can turn an ordinary afternoon into a masterclass in storytelling. His voice has become part of Richmond Hill's soundtrack––a steady hum of laughter, nostalgia, and Southern wisdom that connects generations.

Born in Yadkinville, North Carolina, and raised in Charleston, Angus has lived a life rich in adventure—from his Navy days sailing the Pacific to managing Greyhound terminals in the '60s and '70s, an era he fondly describes as when "the world went from black and white to technicolor." When work brought him to Savannah in the 1980s, he found what would become his family's lifelong home in Richmond Hill—a town whose stories fit perfectly with the man who loved to tell them.

After nearly two decades with Greyhound, Angus shifted gears, earning his real estate license and helping shape the community through both property and people. Along the way, he became a local fixture—co-founding the original Richmond Hill Farmers Market, supporting the Chamber of Commerce, and chronicling the community's soul through his many contributions to Reflections magazine.

Friends describe Angus as part historian, part comedian, and all heart. Whether recounting a wild hunting trip, a ghostly encounter, or a brush with history along the Ogeechee, he delivers each story with that familiar grin and the gleam of someone who truly loves where he lives.

Angus McLeod reminds us that storytelling is how we keep a place—and its people—alive. And in a town built on stories, his will always be one worth telling.