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This year’s Bridge Builder recipient has a rich history with Athens Bible School which began for her as a first grader under Miss Lucy Glass. She graduated in 1983 from our school and was named Miss ABS. She was a devoted mother and began working in our car-line so she could accompany the children to school and be involved and supportive in all their activities. She was a particularly avid baseball and softball mom. Later she would serve in the elementary school as a teacher’s assistant until being moved into the office as a kind of cross-trained, jack-of-all-trades. She performed admirably in “all duties assigned.” She would work on Homespun, Musical Explosion and become involved in most every ABS fund-raiser. She learned to work the lunchroom program, student accounts and student management system. Eventually working with administration to produce a master schedule and strengthen the academic program with the University Preparatory Diploma and further development of the Dual Enrollment Program. She would eventually be recognized by students as one of their major advocates and promoters at school, always pushing and encouraging them to do their best and making the most of their school days. A wonderful Christian example with a “can-do” spirit, she can often be heard to exclaim throughout our hallways, “I love this school!” She truly is about all things ABS and is a wonderful example of the kind of selfless servant our school is run by and whose character is based upon.
Under the direction of Clark Dickerson and Gary Taylor of Dickerson, Bakker and Associates she has become a driving force in the construction of our soon-to-be occupied new facility. She has coordinated a ground-breaking ceremony and has been involved in many events to promote our efforts to secure funding. Her connection, love and admiration from students of ABS’s past, present and future have helped her achieve great success in our fundraising efforts. Her role as Assistant Director of Development has been essential to achieving our building goals so far. We would certainly not be nearly as far along the pathway without her tireless efforts to re-connect and stay connected to our alumni, constituency and general supporters of the school. We certainly owe a huge debt of gratitude to her for her indefatigable energy, vision, drive to have Athens Bible School not only survive, but to grow and thrive. Without her dedication and devotion to the school and others like her, our school would certainly not be in the enviable position that it is in today.
Athens Bible School was honored to name Mrs. Gayle Grant Hagewood as the 2019 Bridge Builder’s Award recipient. Her husband Kenny, mother, Margaret and son, Jeb, joined her on stage as she received the award at the 2019 ABS graduation. It was held in the new “Jack Cannon Gymnasium” on the new Persell campus on May 21, 2019.
Congratulations to Gayle for a job well done. Keep up the good work.
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