Mary Frazier was born at home in Lawrenceville on McDaniel Street and her parents moved to Sassafras Alley, which they got changed to Lucky Street, and finally Perry Street. Her father was a partner in a general store that was on the old Court Square and her mother ran a florist shop from their home.
After meeting and marrying Dean Long at the University of Georgia, Ms. Long lived on Crogan Street and they now live on Craig Drive.
She is among the First Families of Gwinnett County.
Mary graduated from Gwinnett High School, earned an undergraduate degree in teaching from the University of Georgia and a Master’s Degree and Sixth Year Certificate from West Georgia College. She began her teaching career at Grayson High School and went on to teach in Georgia in Lawrenceville, Newnan, Milledgeville and Decatur.
She is a Past President of the Georgia Retired Teachers’ Association, a member of the Lawrenceville High School Alumni Association, the Byron Herbert Reece Society, Delta Kappa Gamma, the Northeast Georgia Civil War Round Table, the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, served on the Gwinnett Selective Service Board for 15 years and has been a Tour Guide for Lawrenceville Historic Trolley Tours.
Mary has joined the First Baptist Church of Lawrenceville 3 times as she returned to Lawrenceville after moving for Dean’s work. She has authored 6 books and written articles that have appeared in the Gwinnett Daily News, the Gwinnett Citizen, Georgia Backroads magazine and Newnan newspapers. She has developed entertaining presentations from her books and interests in Georgia history and funded a college scholarship program through the First Baptist Church of Lawrenceville that has awarded over 30 scholarships.
Anyone who has met Mary has probably appreciated her lively intellect and sense of humor that can be expressed by the saying “If you don’t have a sense of humor, you don’t have any sense at all”. Well-deserved congratulations and best wishes to one of Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County’s great treasures and personalities.
