Former Wake County Superintendent Bob Bridges, who helped integrate schools, dies

Bob Bridges, former superintendent of the Wake County school system, has passed away.

Bridges was Wake County superintendent from 1984 to 1988, serving as the first Black superintendent of what is now North Carolina’s largest school district. He was a highly respected career educator who started his teaching career at Hunter Elementary School in the Raleigh City Schools in 1961.

“It is with deep sadness that we offer condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Bob Bridges, former WCPSS school superintendent and a critical figure in the success of our school system and community,” Wake County school board chairman Keith Sutton said in a statement Wednesday. “Dr. Bridges was a long-time educator and fierce advocate for all students who attended public schools.

“His work as an administrator at the height of the district’s efforts to integrate schools, followed by his successful tenure as the district’s first Black superintendent, created a legacy that can be seen among the thousands of WCPSS graduates who were given the chance to succeed and excel. His wisdom and insight will be missed. “