EDITORIAL: Bridges creates powerful legacyFarewell to retiring ABAC president

Jul. 27—Gauging the impact that Dr. David Bridges has had on Tifton and South Georgia is almost impossible.

One can list some of the accomplishments of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College president but even the impressive achievements doesn't speak to the multitude of lives he's helped and influenced.

Bridges is the only ABAC president to have once been an ABAC student, receiving his ABAC associate degree in 1978 before completing his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Auburn University and his Ph.D. at Texas A&M University.

Prior to becoming the 10th ABAC president July 1, 2006, Bridges was the assistant dean of the Tifton campus of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He joined the UGA faculty in 1987 as an assistant professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.

After offering only associate degrees for 75 years, the college began offering bachelor's degrees under Bridges' leadership in 2008.

"My goal was to transform ABAC from a two-year college into a senior college of excellence," Bridges said in a past statement. "I believe we have done that. ABAC is the leading producer of undergraduates who work and lead Georgia's number one industry, agriculture. In my opinion, ABAC also has the largest and best nursing program in South Georgia."

Bridges cited the introduction of bachelor's degrees as his greatest accomplishment at ABAC. He said several of the degree programs required extraordinary work and patience.

Bridges was behind rehabilitating the front of the ABAC campus, which culminated with the renovation of ABAC's three original buildings, Tift Hall, Lewis Hall and Herring Hall in 2012.

He implemented the Freedom Gallery in Tift Hall, a room honoring veterans. ABAC added Edwards Hall to the front of the campus, a multi-purpose facility providing a home for the ABAC music and fine arts program.

Through Bridges' work with the ABAC Foundation, the college offers more than $800,000 in scholarships for students, the largest amount of scholarship funds in the history of ABAC. The Foundation's net assets have doubled during Bridges' tenure.

In 2010, Bridges navigated the addition of the Georgia Museum of Agriculture, formerly known as the Georgia Agrirama, to the ABAC campus.

In 2017 and 2018, Bridges concentrated his efforts on the consolidation of the former Bainbridge State College into ABAC.

The list goes on. And there are not enough pages in this paper to list the number of lives he's influenced.

And now, after 16 years, David Bridges is stepping down as ABAC president.

We thank him for his service, we thank him for his contributions and friendship to not only ABAC but to Tifton and Tift County.

We wish him well in the future and whenever we need even a small reminder of his influence, all we have to do is take a stroll on the ABAC campus.

He may be gone but his legacy will live on.