EDUCATION : Supt. Meeks to Retire for Work With Mormon Church

Alhambra School District Supt. Heber Meeks will retire from his $112,000-a-year post in December to move back to his home state of Utah.

A lifelong member of the Mormon Church and a bishop in its Arcadia stake, Meeks said he and his wife, Barbara, will apply for a mission with the church when they return to Utah. If accepted, the couple could be sent to any part of the world and spend 18 months to two years there teaching and working for the church.

Meeks took over as superintendent after the retirement of Bruce Peppin in 1991. He will leave the Alhambra district in late December. Assistant Supt. Richard Keilhacker has been selected to take over Jan. 1 as the district’s top administrator.

School board members said they were surprised at Meeks’ decision to leave the district. “He did a great job. There were a lot of issues for him to deal with over the past few years,” said board Vice President Sophie Wong.

Meeks, 60, said he wanted to go on a mission for the church before he and his wife get much older. Meeks said he is leaving the school district while many of the projects started during his tenure get under way, such as a $13-million renovation project at Alhambra High School and a $23-million renovation of San Gabriel High School. The district also is in the midst of a court battle over the election that created the San Gabriel Unified School District, pulling students away from the Alhambra district’s secondary schools.

“I feel very good about leaving the district at this time. I think it’s in good shape,” Meeks said.