Fred Lilly, Sr. is the February 2023 Betty J. Lewis Unsung Hero!

Fred Lilly was born on May 4, 1956, in Camden, Arkansas, to Mayfield “Jack” and Evelyn T. Lilly. Fred Lilly has spent his entire 42–year career as a teacher, coach, and administrator at his alma mater – Camden Fairview School District. Lilly began his career in the Fairview School District in 1979 as a coach and teacher. In 1993, he took on the junior high assistant principal role, then the high school assistant principal in 1997. After a year as assistant principal, Lilly became the junior high principal for the district. In 2000, Lilly became the district’s athletic and special programs director and added the assistant superintendent role in 2010. In 2012, Lilly accepted the position of deputy superintendent until December 2019.

On December 17, 2019, Lilly was made the new superintendent of the Camden Fairview School District. Lilly is a member of many Arkansas State associations, including the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators and the Arkansas Association of School Personnel Administrators. Lilly has served as the state president of the AHSAA as the 7A Activity District. Lilly has also served on the Awards Committee for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. Lilly was named State Award of Merit in 2006, Distinguished Service award for the state in 2008, and Citation Awards for the State in 2011, 2012, and 2013. He also received the National Citation Award from the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2013. In 2014, Lilly was inducted into the Arkansas High School Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame. President of the Personnel Director’s Association for the State of Arkansas. In 2020 he was inducted into the Southern Arkansas University Educational Leadership Hall of Fame. He received a Citation from the Arkansas House of Representatives on June 30, 2021, for being an extraordinary educator who devoted himself to providing the highest quality education for Arkansas students.

Lilly earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education in 1978 from Henderson State University. He then earned his Master’s Degree in Secondary Education at Henderson State in 1993. In 2012 Lilly received his Superintendent Certification at Southern Arkansas University. Lilly has been a member of the Ouachita County Quorum Courts and a Justice of Peace for twenty-eight years, Leadership Camden Area Alumni, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and was a member of the Camden Board of Adjustment and Camden Planning Commission.

Lilly is a St. James A.M.E. Church member, and the Pastor is Michael Harris. He has two children TaShanta and Fredrick II (Ashley), and seven grandchildren. He retired in 2021 from Camden Fairview School District.