School board member talks about moving cocaine, weed, cash in Fred Smith tribute post
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis Shelby County Schools board member says a Facebook post she made after Fred Smith's death about moving drugs through FedEx was misinterpreted.
In the Facebook post she has since deleted, Towanna Murphy said she worked for FedEx — the Memphis-based shipping company founded by Smith — for eight months.
'REST WELL MR. SMITH, THEY Trusted ME ENOUGH TO MOVE COCAINE AND WEED and cash off the trucks. THANK YOU!' the original post stated.
In a second post, Murphy said, 'I made a post earlier that was misinterpreted. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at FedEx. I was grateful to work collaboratively with diligent individuals 10 years ago. Fred Smith was a good person! Thank you!'
Memphis airport to be renamed in honor of Fred Smith
Murphy told WREG she was trying to say in the original post that she had worked in an area where items were shipped to pharmaceutical companies. 'I just worded it wrong,' she said.
She then said her response was 'off the record' and stated that if we wanted a statement, we should contact MSCS attorney Justin Bailey.
WREG has reached out to Bailey, to the school district, and to other school board members. We are waiting for a response.
In April, Murphy issued an apology a day after she threatened to deport a woman she exchanged words with in a private message on Facebook.
School board member apologizes for deportation threat
The messages were later made public and posted on the social media site.
In a statement released by a public relations group regarding that post, Murphy said:
I want to apologize to the community and my board colleagues for my interaction in a social media direct message with a member of our community. While I found the initial message from the individual to be disrespectful and upsetting, my response did not represent the professionalism and respect that I know should be a standard in my service as an MSCS Board Member. It certainly was not a reflection of my true feelings or intentions toward the Latino community.
MSCS Board Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman also released a statement admonishing Murphy.
Community leaders, lawmakers, and organizations offered their condolences after Smith passed away over the weekend at the age of 80.
City leaders offer condolences following Fred Smith's death
Smith was born in Marks, Mississippi, in 1944 and earned his degree from Yale in 1966. After four years of service in the United States Marine Corps, Smith launched FedEx operations in 1973 and turned it into a global shipping giant.
FedEx is headquartered in Memphis.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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