Virginia: Democrat Ann Ridgeway felt a "call" to run for delegate in 30th District
Ridgeway, 67, is a resident of Locust Dale in Madison County and a first-time candidate for political office. The Fredericksburg native is the daughter of Thomas G Faulkner Jr., the rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg for 30 years, and Mary Faulkner, who started the Fredericksburg Interfaith Council. She says social justice was extremely important to her late parents. She speaks with pride of her father’s involvement in civil rights activities at a time when few other white ministers in the area shared his commitment.
The youngest of three children, she graduated from Old Dominion University in 1976 with a degree in psychology. She has spent her career in Orange County, first as a juvenile probation officer and later as a substitute teacher at Orange County High School, often doing long-term duty for several months in one classroom. At the request of the school administration, she went on to revamp the in-school suspension program at the high school.
She also helped start the Orange County Youth Commission and the Orange County Youth Council. Through her involvement with the council, she created a school division-wide festival of the arts and sciences and helped launch the Orange County Recreation Department, among many other projects. She has volunteered with 4-H clubs in Madison and Orange counties and run the Locust Dale Farm Riding program for children at her home.
She and her husband, Michael, have two grown daughters, Sarah and Katherine. Michael is a retired schoolteacher who taught for a year at Prospect Heights Middle School but spent the bulk of his career teaching at various schools in Spotsylvania County.
When Ridgeway speaks of her family life, a heartbreaking story emerges. She and her husband had a third child, who died in a car crash at age 6 in 1997.
Her gaze direct, she says, “I’m a survivor. I’ve got a really thick skin.”
https://www.dailyprogress.com/orangenews/news/democrat-ann-ridgeway-felt-a-call-to-run-for-delegate/article_44258ba4-beda-11e9-86e6-5bf2297c42c9.html
https://www.ridgewayfordelegate.com