N.C. Department of
Correction--Correction News--July 1998
Annual Minority Pioneers reunion held
GOLDSBORO — Herman Bridges, a
former superintendent at Sandy Ridge Correctional Center, was
awarded the Lewyn Hayes Award during the 1998 gathering of the
Minority Pioneers in Goldsboro.
 Herman Bridges
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The Annual Reunion of the Minority
Pioneers is held each year in the spring and is a time
for longtime and new employees to come together to
celebrate the contributions and achievements of minority
employees within the Department of Correction. Minority
Pioneer employees include African Americans who were
initially hired in the late 1950s and early 1960s on up
to today’s employees. Each
year, the group selects one individual for its top honor,
the Lewyn Hayes Award. Bridges, who was chosen as this
year’s recipient, was instrumental in the successful
entry of blacks into the Divison of Prisons. Other
nominees included Hattie Butler, Harry Chambers and James
French.
Joe Lofton said that Bridges was one of
the initial pioneers in the department.
"He was employed when the road was
just a path," he said. "He helped to blazon the
trail and helped build bridges over the trail to widen it
to a road that we could mutually travel. We can say that
he was a true and dedicated engineer of better conditions
and inclusiveness for all. We share in congratulating him
for winning this award."
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Bridges began his career with the department in
1961 as a correctional officer at McLeansville, where he was
later promoted to sergeant in 1962. In 1969, he was promoted to
lieutenant at Sandy Ridge before becoming superintendent in 1981.
He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1990.
The Honorable Judge Elaine O’Neal of the
14th Judicial District spoke during the awards dinner
on Saturday evening. The dinner was a gala but also a solemn
affair since it took place on the anniversary of the death of
Martin Luther King, Jr. While addressing the group, Judge
O’Neal encouraged a return to the idea of the whole
community raising the child. She proclaimed that it takes the
whole community to help stop juvenile delinquency and to help
save the children from the hands of the criminal justice system.
The evening closed with a commitment to
continue the remembrance and celebration of the contributions of
the Minority Pioneers and to plan for the celebration of the
Minority Pioneers' 50th anniversary. u