Leonard O. "Pete" Fletcher, Jr.

Augusta, GA – Entered into rest on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, Leonard O. “Pete” Fletcher, Jr., 77, loving husband of Kay Pond Fletcher.
Pete was a native and lifelong resident of Augusta, Georgia, where he attended public school in Richmond County, and is a 1962 graduate of the Academy of Richmond County (ARC). While at ARC, he was the G-2 in the ROTC Corp, a member of Student Council, a member of the Gold "R" Society and was selected to Who's Who in High Schools of America. He attended Augusta Junior College, where he received the award for High Academic Achievement before transferring to Mercer University, graduating in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He then attended the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University where he served on the editorial board of the Mercer Law Review. He graduated with honors in 1969. He was inducted into the Blue Key Honor Society and selected to Who's Who in Colleges and Universities of America. He achieved these honors all while working part-time at the C&S Bank and playing rhythm guitar in the band The Tempests.
He was in private practice since graduation and served as the Senior Partner of Fletcher, Harley & Fletcher, the law firm he co-founded in 1989. He was a member of the Augusta Bar Association and served as its President in 1987. He was a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Georgia School Board Association of Attorneys (GSBA) and the National Association of School Board Attorneys. Pete served on the GSBA Executive Council of school board attorneys for approximately twenty-two years and was its President for three years.
Pete proudly served as Board Counsel for the Richmond County Board of Education for over 50 years and has represented the Columbia County Board of Education for selected legal matters since 1989 and as Board Counsel since 2007. Throughout his years as counsel for local boards of education, as well as other clients, he has had the opportunity to handle a wide range of matters, including: an appearance before the Supreme Court of the United States, litigation in State and Federal Courts defending employment issues, discrimination, wage-hour claims, alleged violations of constitutional rights (including the First and Fourteenth Amendments), defenses of class action lawsuits, special education matters, and the desegregation case for the Board of Education of Richmond County. He presented the arguments and evidence to the Federal District Court to have the Richmond County School System obtain unitary status in 2013. He handled numerous SPLOST matters, bond issues and bond refund projects. He served as a member of the Richmond County Board of Education Policy Committee overseeing 195 projects and approximately $600 million in construction projects since 1996.
Pete was instrumental in drafting legislation concerning education laws in the State of Georgia to include statutes regarding Public Safety (legislation authorizing school public safety officers and later legislation to allow them to become P.O.S.T.-certified police officers and carry weapons) and Bond Refunding (legislation to allow school districts to refund bond indebtedness). He has drafted numerous policies and procedures for Boards and agencies. He is widely considered an expert in government and education law, both on a State and National level, and prepared and presented over fifty learned papers and training talks to the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) and attorneys of GSBA, as well as conducted numerous training seminars for board of education administrators and employees.
Pete was an adjunct professor at Augusta University (formerly Augusta College) for fourteen years, where he taught masters level educational law classes to present and future school administrators. He also served as a guest speaker for various professors at Augusta University. He served for ten years as a Citizen Representative and Volunteer Legal Adviser to the Human Assurance Committee of the Medical College of Georgia (now Augusta University Health). He served as President for the Augusta Junior Rowing Association and as both a Director and President of the Augusta Rowing Club. He was inducted into the ARC Hall of Fame in October 2018.
Mr. Fletcher married an ARC graduate, Kay Pond, and they have two adult children and four grandchildren. His wife is a retired elementary public school teacher, and his son and daughter-in-law have both taught in the Richmond County School System, with his son now serving as a leader in instructional technology. His daughter is also an attorney in his firm and assists with representing both school boards.
Family members in addition to his wife Kay include his children, Kim Fletcher Bowden (Tripp) and Owen Carlton Fletcher (Jessica), as well as his four grandchildren, Arrington (Arrie B.), Hollis, Sarah Grace and Josephine. He is survived by his beloved brothers and sisters-in-law: Frank (Mary) Fletcher, David (Nancy) Fletcher, and Larry (Anna Kim) Fletcher, as well as their children, Pete’s nephews and nieces (Franklin, Granger, Whitney, Taylor, Erik, and Will), all of whom he enjoyed teasing and sharing his famous amusing yarns or jokes. He enjoyed keeping in touch with his surviving first cousins (affectionately known as “the North Carolina Cousins”), as well as his friends, godchildren, and colleagues.
He spent his spare time cooking elaborate meals, hanging out with the grandchildren and extended family, hosting holiday dinners, holding court with his many stories and humorous tales, enjoying expert knowledge of many sports, his favorite of which was college football, cheering on (or fussing at) the Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta Falcons, tuning in regularly to home renovation and cooking shows, poring over cookbooks for new recipes, as well as breaking out his rhythm guitar. He was well known for his sense of style and keeping up with the latest trends in men’s fashion. Above all, he had a heart for service and worked tirelessly, both personally and professionally, for the improvement and uplifting of our community.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or other charitable organization.
The funeral service will be held Saturday, September 17, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. at First Presbyterian Church with Rev. John Franks officiating. Interment will follow in Westover Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends on Friday evening from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. at Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com