Martha and Dennis Meeks said goodbye to Sewanee on June 18, leaving a hole in the community while carrying a trove of memories with them to Asheville.

For more than 50 years, they lived life on the Domain, endearing themselves to this university town. Martha worked three decades as associate director of financial aid and Dennis coached Sewanee football, track and cross country.

In 2013, Dennis created Coffee with the Coach, a regular meet and greet at the Blue Chair Tavern with Sewanee athletic coaches. He also served on both the Community Council and Sewanee Lease Committee, while Martha was a longtime volunteer at Emerald Hodgson Hospital’s Hospitality Shop.

Jimmy Wilson, owner of the Blue Chair, is a longtime friend of the Meeks and played football for Dennis starting in 1969.

“The two words that best describe Dennis are humble and kind,” Wilson said. “Dennis has been a real mentor to me and others in the community. It’s behind the scenes and he’s really unsung in that regard. If anybody was in need, Dennis and Martha have always been there.”

Dennis said they will miss the rich network of friends they’ve made.

“It’s going to be tough for me to leave,” he said a few days before the moving van arrived. “But I know that deep down it’s best considering Martha’s health and my health.”

When he fell on a slippery deck in January and broke his right hip and leg, the accident heralded their decision to relocate to Deerfield, a retirement community in Asheville.

“I’m 80 years old; I didn’t feel it until this happened,” he said about the fall.

The couple praised Folks at Home in Sewanee for its help during Dennis’ recovery, providing rides to the doctor and other assistance for them both.

Martha said she’s more excited about the move to Deerfield than Dennis, looking forward to the amenities of the retirement community and spending time with their daughters and grandchildren, who live in North Carolina.

“He’s going to be missing a lot more than I’m going to be missing,” she said, laughing.

The couple moved to Sewanee after the University of the South hired Dennis as assistant football coach and head track coach, positions he held from 1967 to 1978. He coached the running backs in football, but his primary jobs were recruiting and traveling to scout the next week’s opponent.

“Dennis basically had the primary role of telling us how much bigger the other guys that we were going to face were,” Wilson joked.

Dennis recalled one of his favorite memories on the field, a home game Saturday afternoon early in his tenure when Sewanee was mired in a miserable season.

“At the end of the game, the coaches’ wives would always come to the end of the field where the coaches and players exited, and we won this game and I remember how great that felt to win that day,” he said with tears in his eyes. “I guess that’s why you coach. That thrill of victory will always stand with me, that one victory.”

He added that he’s proud of the trust he developed with head coach Shirley Majors, the winningest coach in Sewanee football history.

Dennis left coaching and worked in real estate before he parlayed his passion for sports into a job as an associate baseball scout. The Montreal Expos hired him before he landed an area scout position with the Texas Rangers, covering players in four states.

“I started off as a glorified bird dog,” he joked.

Dennis initially recommended players for other scouts to see, but moved up the ladder to become the scout who evaluated players.

The highest draft pick that Dennis scouted was David Mead, a right-handed pitcher from Soddy Daisy who Texas selected in the first round of the 1999 supplemental draft—a top 50 pick overall.

While Dennis was looking for future baseball phenoms, Martha was at home, taking care of their two daughters and overseeing the construction of their Wiggins Creek house. At the same time, she was helping students afford to attend Sewanee through her work in financial aid.

“Until I quit doing that, I didn’t realize how much the families and the students loved me, and how much I helped them come to school,” she said.

While getting things ready to move, Martha said she found 40 or 50 thank you notes from students and their families.

The Meeks said they plan to return to Sewanee when they can, including on Aug. 11, when Dennis is inducted into the Grundy County High School Sports Hall of Fame. He played basketball and football at Grundy County, where his speed made him a standout player and helped him continue playing football as a defensive back and kick returner for the University of Tennessee at Martin.

The Sewanee Athletic Department has also bestowed recent honors on Dennis for his support. Both Dennis and Martha are passionate Sewanee sports fans.

Mark Webb, Sewanee athletic director, praised them for their devotion to the Tigers.

“For more than 50 years, Dennis and Martha have contributed to the life of the athletic department in so many ways and have been two of our strongest supporters,” he said on June 18. “Coffee with the Coach, started by Dennis a few years ago, has been incredibly positive for our coaches and gives the athletic department a more robust connection with the community. All of us in the athletic department wish them well in their move, and they will be missed in more ways than I can imagine.”

The Franklin County Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Adult Chapter also recently recognized Dennis and Martha for many years of work with the FCA.

Note: The Blue Chair will host a reception for the Meeks on Sunday, Aug. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m.