Honoring 16 Years of Service: ABAC pays tribute to Dr. David Bridges

TIFTON — From one of its students to its president, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has always been a place of great importance to Dr. David Bridges.

Though his time at the college is coming to an end, the friends, family and colleagues he has made and connected with during his years there gathered earlier this month to celebrate his service to ABAC and remind him that he will always have a place at the school.

After 16 years of serving as the president of ABAC, the longest of any president at ABAC, Bridges is now on the way to retiring. The college brought together the special people in his life to hold a retirement celebration for one of the most influential men in the history of ABAC.

Held in the atrium of the Georgia Museum of Agriculture, the retirement party was sponsored by the ABAC Foundation. Guests represented various moments of Bridges' life to celebrate everything he has accomplished at ABAC.

Bridges served as the 10th president at ABAC, and is currently the only president to have also been a student of the university. Before becoming president, he acted as the assistant dean of the Tifton campus of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Niki Vanderslice of the ABAC Foundation thanked Bridges for all of the work he had done with the organization, announcing the school would start a foundation in his name.

Bridges worked extensively with the ABAC Foundation, helping it provide more than $800,000 in scholarships to ABAC students and doubling net assets.

Jessica Gandy spoke on behalf of the Black Lions, a division of the United States military that collaborated with ABAC and Bridges in founding the Freedom Gallery, a memorial meant to honor the memory of those who served in the military, with ABAC alumnus Harold Bascom Durham as its centerpiece. Bridges was a key player in its creation, and Gandy thanked him and his wife, Kim Bridges, for their efforts in bringing it to life.

Bridges was gifted with a resolution, proposed in his honor by state Sen. Tyler Harper and Rep. Sam Watson. Both men took a moment to recount their work with Bridges and admire his character and tenacity, each saying they are incredibly grateful to have had the chance to work with him.

Harper, an alumnus of ABAC, lamented that he had left the college soon after Bridges had become president, but was appreciative that he'd eventually gotten the chance to work alongside him.

Watson said the resolution they had proposed was meant to be a testament to everything that Bridges has done while president at ABAC.

"Dr. Bridges, I want to say as a legislator: thank you for your passion for this institution, and as an alumnus, thank you for your dedication to ABAC," Harper said. "It means a lot for you to personally come to the Capitol and advocate on behalf of this institution, and it means a lot to me and those of us that serve on the General Assembly. I don't think it's any secret that the Rural Center is at ABAC for any other reason other than the fact that you're such a passionate advocate for ABAC. ABAC, the state of Georgia and rural Georgia are better off because of your service, your dedication, and you will most definitely be missed by all three in the years ahead."

Elijah Hall, an ABAC student and music major, recounted all of the improvements that had been made to Edwards Hall under the leadership of Bridges, thanking the retiring president for all he had done for the college and its students. The two shared a hug after Hall finished speaking.

"I believe I speak on behalf of past, present and future Stallions when I say that, if it wasn't for Dr. Bridges' dedication, vision and perseverance, ABAC would not be the prominent institution it is today," Hall said.

Sonny Perdue, former governor of Georgia and the current chancellor of the University System of Georgia, said Bridges is a "memorable icon for Tifton and rural Georgia" and has left big shoes to fill for the USG.

Dr. Gale Buchanan, former dean of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, recounted several stories of his many years of knowing Bridges, focusing on his loyalty, generosity and determination.

"The many successes that Dr. Bridges has enjoyed has not been a surprise at all, to me or almost anybody else," Buchanan stated. "From the very first time I met Bubba (Dr. Bridges), it was quite apparent and quite obvious that he was a unique individual that would definitely do great things in the future. The only question in my mind was what would be the vision in which he would do those things, and over a lifetime, clearly Dr. Bridges has distinguished himself in his service and administration, but most importantly, as a person. All of these other things are important, but I like to say that David is a dignitary of what we all aspire to be as a person."

Rees Bridges, Dr. Bridges' son, spoke on how proud he is of his father and his achievements and how Dr. Bridges shaped and impacted his life for the better. Rees noted his father's work ethic, intellect, generosity and wisdom as the four pillars that defined who Dr. David Bridges is to him, and believes they are also key to his success.

"The Webster's Dictionary defines 'principle' as 'comprehensive and fundamental law,' 'rule or a code of conduct,' 'an underlying faculty or endowment,' and, my favorite, for a chemist, 'an ingredient that exhibits or imparts a characteristic quality,'" Rees Bridges said. "There's no question that this describes my father."

Rees Bridges closed his speech by stating that as he continues working in his industry of agriculture and agricultural chemistry, he would be proud and honored to be known to most as "Bubba Bridges' son."

Once all of these figures from Bridges' life and career had been given a chance to speak, the president was invited to the stage to say a few words, introduced by Mike Chason, public relations director, to the tune of "Eye of the Tiger."

Bridges took a moment to thank not only the guests in attendance, but each person who spoke that night individually, stating his appreciation for each of their words.

He asked those in attendance to mark the celebration as one for both Paul Willis and Robert Gerhart, two ABAC officials who had retired during the COVID-19 pandemic and were not able to receive a celebration on the same level as Bridges. Both men were in attendance of the event and were asked to stand as they were treated to a round of applause.

The retiring president looked back on all of the achievements that he and the rest of ABAC had accomplished together in his 16-year tenure as president, but insisted the college community look ahead to what would come. He urged them to continue pushing for the same greatness even after he left the college. 

He recounted his first speech given to the college, where he stated his intent to make ABAC into a four-year institution to help it continue to thrive. The statement received a great deal of backlash at the time, but he continued to push forward and proved his plan had paid off for the better.

Now that he would be leaving the college, he encouraged those who would follow in his footsteps and pick up where he left off to carry the same ambition and determination, a sentiment carried as many members of the audience joined him in a final "Gee Haw Whoa Back, Give 'em Hell."

"We – and the emphasis is we – have achieved a great deal over the past 16 years," Bridges said. "Those achievements did not occur by a random event. The keys to our success have been a shared vision, a simple and solid mission, defined goals, an unrelenting, laser focus, and steady commitment to the strategy to get us where we wanted to be. There are no such things as good times and bad times, there's only the present time, and whatever the time was, you could not allow whatever the situation was to distract us."