Mon,
08/25/2025 – 04:05pm | By: Dr. David Tisdale
Dr. Frances Karnes’ decades of advocacy, innovation and mentorship transformed gifted
education, shaping how educators, policymakers and communities support students with
exceptional abilities. Her influence extends from Mississippi to classrooms and policy
initiatives across the nation and around the world.
Karnes, distinguished university professor emeritus at The University of Southern
Mississippi and founding director of its Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies,
passed away peacefully on August 22, 2025, surrounded by her family. She was 87.
Programs and Policy Influence
For more than 40 years, the Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies at Southern
Miss has been an internationally recognized leader in gifted education research, outreach,
advocacy, and curriculum and policy development. Thousands of students with exceptional
abilities have participated in the center’s Leadership, Saturday Gifted Studies, Summer
Gifted Studies and Summer Academically Talented Youth programs, which provide enrichment
and accelerated courses taught by expert instructors from diverse professional backgrounds.
Founded by Dr. Karnes in 1979 and named for her in 1999, the center also supports
teachers of the gifted and their families. Under Karnes’ leadership, the center influenced
public policy in Mississippi and nationally, leading to improvements in curriculum
and funding for gifted education. Her former students—many of whom collaborated with
her on publications—now carry her vision forward in classrooms and educational initiatives
across the country and globe.
Mentorship and Legacy
Her extraordinary dedication not only shaped the Karnes Center but also left a lasting
imprint on the university and the broader educational community.
“Dr. Karnes was a true pioneer whose vision transformed gifted education in Mississippi
and beyond,” said Southern Miss President Dr. Joe Paul. “She was a force for good,
a tireless leader, and her unwavering commitment to students, educators and families
reflects the very best of our institution. We are honored to carry forward her legacy
of excellence, innovation and inspiration.”
Dr. Heather Houston, one of Karnes’ former students and now director of the Karnes
Center, described her mentor as having “the special gift of being able to identify
unique talents and abilities in other people.”
“Her legacy reaches far beyond the world of gifted education and lives on in the entrepreneurial,
artistic, legislative and intellectual achievements of those she gathered to herself
over the years,” Houston said. “She had a way of revealing the wonderful things in
you that you were not aware of yourself. Even more, she made it a point to encourage
and cajole until you had stepped out in faith upon the platform she helped you to
envision.”
“I learned so much at her side and have been so honored to have her trust and friendship
as I have taken on the directorship of her center,” Houston continued. “She has made
such a difference in my life and in the lives of so many others. I would venture to
say that Hattiesburg, and the world, would be a very different place without her influence.”
Awards and Service
Karnes served on the Southern Miss faculty from 1973 until 2014. Her honors include
the Mississippi Association for Gifted Children’s Award for Excellence (2003), Distinguished
University Professor (2010), TeachTechTopia’s Top 10 Most Influential Special Education
Professors (2010), the National Association for Professional Women’s Legacy Registry
(2011–12) and the National Association for Gifted Children’s Legacy Award (2015).
She also devoted her time to numerous community and professional organizations, including
the Boys and Girls Club of Hattiesburg Advisory Council, the Hattiesburg Public School
Foundation Board, the Forrest General Hospital Spirit of Women Advisory Council, Forrest
General Foundation Board, the National Association for Gifted Children, the Mississippi
Association for Gifted Children, and the Council for Exceptional Children, among many
others.
“I had a wonderful career at Southern Miss,” Karnes said upon her retirement. “The
people here have been very kind and supportive of our efforts to establish and expand
gifted education in Mississippi.”
Click here to read the full obituary.
For more information about the Karnes Center for Gifted Studies at Southern Miss,
visit the website.