Hilda Agnes Bridges -- Elementary School Teacher

 

Hilda Agnes Bridges was born December 9, 1910 in Trigg County, Kentucky, the eighth of eleven children of John Trice Bridges and Maggie Cunningham Bridges. She attended the one room Maple Grove School through the eighth grade. After she completed the eighth grade, she attended Cadiz High School where she graduated as the salutatorian of the 1930 class.

Hilda became an elementary school teacher and taught in the Trigg County School System for thirty-nine years.  Her first teaching position began in the summer of 1930 in the Lower Donaldson School, a one-room school.  Later she taught in two other one-room schools—Maple Grove School and Upper Donaldson School.  In 1940 she began teaching the third grade at the Cadiz Graded School.  In 1948, she obtained a BS degree from Murray State College (now Murray State University).  Hilda continued to teach in the third grade at the Trigg Elementary School and McUpton School until her retirement in 1971.

“Miss Bridges” was the third grade teacher for many Trigg County students.  She was very artistic and shared that ability with her students. This author’s most vivid memory of “Miss Bridges” was that every day after lunch, she read a chapter from the book, “The Wizard of Oz” thereby introducing this classic story to her students long before it became available for its numerous television and video viewings.

Hilda never married but after her retirement she became a constant baby sitter for her three great-nephews when they were not in school.  She would constantly care for them from cooking their lunch to taking them swimming in the nearby creek.

On April 8, 1986, two years after her death, the Hilda Bridges Scholarship Fund was officially established.  It was the first scholarship to be established under the Trigg County Public School’s Educational Foundation.

Hilda died on February 12, 1984 and twenty four school teachers served as honorary pallbearers at her funeral.  She was buried in the Drury Bridges Cemetery in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County near her home place where she had lived all of her life.

Hilda A. Bridges Tombstone

LINEAGE:  (Hilda Agnes Bridges was the daughter of John Trice and Maggie Dora Cunningham Bridges and the granddaughter of Cullen T. and Virginia Thomas Bridges.  Cullen was the twelfth child of William Bridges and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.  Mary Thomas was the fifth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)