Left to Right: Senior Class Advisors Mrs. Katherine Zucco and Mrs. Laurie Mele, Retired Faculty Member Mrs. Donna Titus, Senior Class President Rishi Patel, Senior Class Vice President Adam Frask, Senior Class Secretary Sharan Parikh, Senior Class Historian Georgia Washko, and Senior Class Treasurer Alexis Bleiler

On Tuesday, November 25th, students at MMI Preparatory School honored their School’s founders, Eckley Brinton Coxe, and his wife, Sophia Georgianna Coxe, during the School’s annual Founders Day. The day began at Drifton cemetery, where seniors attended a graveside service to lay a wreath on the Coxes’ grave. Retired faculty member Mrs. Donna Titus offered some words to give thanks for the Coxes’ contributions to the School and the area. The seniors ended their morning at the historic Coxe Home, where they went on a tour guided by Mr. Bryan Dunnigan, Curator of the Sophia Coxe Foundation & Education Center.

Upon their return to MMI, all students enjoyed a free lunch sponsored by the School, which included stuffed chicken breast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and vegan butternut squash pasta. The MMI Parents Association also provided a medley of different types of desserts.

After lunch, the seniors led teams of the underclass students in a Family-Fued style game and scavenger hunt, both of which pertained to the School’s history. 

Head of School, Mrs. Theresa Long, reflected on this annual tradition, “Founders Day is one of the most meaningful celebrations in our school year because it connects our students directly to the roots of MMI. Watching our seniors honor our founders at the Drifton cemetery, walk through the rooms of the historic Coxe Home, and then bring that history to life for the underclass students reminds us why this tradition has endured for generations. It is a day that blends gratitude, reflection, and community, and I am so proud of our students for the leadership and spirit they bring to it each year.”

The celebrations continued on Wednesday, November 26th, at the Young Alumni Founders Day Luncheon. From 12-2 PM, members of the senior class and alumni from the past decade gathered to enjoy a meal together, catered by Capriotti’s. This luncheon continues MMI’s tradition of fostering connections between alumni, faculty, and current students as part of the School’s annual Thanksgiving celebrations. Because no classes were held on Wednesday, this luncheon offered students and alumni some dedicated time to engage with each other, and allowed MMI’s young alumni the space to provide the senior class with valuable insights into life after graduation. 

Mrs. Kim McNulty, Director of Advancement, noted, “This luncheon is a special way to welcome our young alumni back to campus and keep them connected during their college and early career years. Reuniting them with our faculty and introducing them to today’s students reinforces the lifelong relationships that make MMI so unique and ensures they continue to feel part of our community no matter where their paths lead.”

The lives of Eckley and Sophia Coxe provide an interesting look into the history of the early coal-mining days in the Hazleton area. After graduating from Penn in 1858, Eckley was sent abroad to continue his studies at the Ecole des Mines in Paris, France. He attended the Mining Academy in Freiberg in Saxony, where he studied mechanics, which piqued his interest in mechanical inventions that aided the mining industry. After returning to the US in 1864, he established Coxe Brothers & Co. to combine control of the coal lands. Soon, his firm controlled more than 35,000 acres of coalfields and increased coal production. This consolidation brought almost every mining operation in NEPA under his control and is considered to be one of Eckley’s greatest accomplishments.

In 1879, Eckley then founded the Mining and Mechanical Institute – today’s MMI Preparatory School. This institution was chartered in 1894 as an all-boys’ school to teach the sons of miners. Today, it is a co-educational college preparatory school serving students in grades six through 12.

Eckley’s wife, Sophia Georgianna (Fisher) Coxe, was equally well known throughout the region. Because of all the charitable works she performed throughout her lifetime, she was known as the “Angel of the Anthracite.”

Her love of people and concern for their welfare prompted her to establish a hospital in Drifton, the first one in the area. Sophia also helped found St. James Episcopal Church in 1884 and taught Sunday school at the church for 40 years.

On November 26, 1925, Sophia celebrated her 85th birthday and Thanksgiving as she made her last public appearance. Even though she was in ill health and her physicians advised against attending, she was determined to dedicate her newest accomplishment, the MMI gymnasium.

Sophia Coxe died four months later on March 3, 1926. She is buried beside her husband in the churchyard of St. James Episcopal Church.