Kitty Ridgway ’42 Made Planned Gift to Continue to Support the College’s Future

Kitty Ridgway ’42

When Katherine “Kitty” Gordon Ridgway ’42 graduated from Colby Junior College, the world was at war. By the time peace was declared three years later, she had served as a volunteer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, enrolled in midshipmen’s school, and achieved the rank of lieutenant as a communications officer for the North Atlantic fleet. This early display of service for the greater good would continue throughout Kitty’s life.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Kitty married her husband Bruce in 1955 and eventually settled in West Cornwall, Connecticut. A devoted alumna, Kitty attended numerous reunions on campus and generously supported the Colby-Sawyer Fund with yearly gifts—often designating them to support scholarships.

Kitty and Bruce chose to make a planned gift to Colby-Sawyer in 1979 and were the very first of the college’s donors to participate in a pooled income fund. After a lifetime of service, it is perhaps no surprise that Kitty was so forward-thinking in planning for the college’s future.

Within her community, she served as deacon of her church and was an active volunteer for many local causes. In 2013 Kitty was honored for her military and community service with a VFW Citizen of the Year award.