A Reinhardt alumna celebrated her 103rd birthday earlier this week. Annie Mae (Brown) Bigham was born in Waleska, as the oldest of four children. She attended Reinhardt when middle and high school were taught in the same building as the college classes. She attended throughout all levels of her education, graduating in 1940.
Annie Mae was a teacher in the Gordon County School System from 1944 until 1986. During wartime, when schools needed teachers, she agreed to take a temporary position until someone else could be found. She stayed in that position for forty-two years. Her niece Maggie Johnson says students remember Mrs. Bigham as a caring teacher who made sure everyone learned, even looking after children in other classes, “she made an indelible impression on Belwood students for decades. I wish kids these days had teachers like Mrs. Bigham.”
Annie Mae now resides in Calhoun, Georgia, and has two children. Her sister Hazel, now 100 years of age, graduated from Reinhardt in 1942 and resides in Oregon. Their youngest sibling Geneva is a member of the 1951 class and lives in Jasper at age 91. Their mother Catherine Brown worked in Reinhardt’s dietary department.
Happy birthday from all of Reinhardt to this amazing alumna!
