Among my earliest memories of Bridgeport is walking to Simpson Elementary Grade School. From our family’s home on Third Street, my little sister Janet and I walked west on Main Street until we reached the footbridge, then popped up the hill to school. Along the way, we ran into other kids who were going to the same place. One of those kids was Rhea Grant, who lived just off Main Street at about our midway point. Rhea was in the grade between my sister and me. She was also in our Brownie troop. She was nice. She was funny and outgoing – and she had an ornery side. And like me, she was also a little on the chubby side. She often wore her hair in pigtails, but by the time she got to 5^th grade, she rocked an awesome fro.

 

Rhea went to school with us at Bridgeport Junior High and Bridgeport High School. All those years, she was the only black student in Bridgeport. It never seemed to bother her and it sure didn’t bother anyone else. I really don’t remember anyone talking much about it.

 

It wasn’t until I was in upper grades that I wondered if her situation was uncomfortable for her. In an interview for the 1977 BHS Yearbook, the Ki-Ku-Wa, she was asked that very thing. I recently ran across that little article, which goes like this:

 

“How would your school react to the attendance of one black student among 600 whites?

‘The color of her skin doesn’t matter.’

 

‘She acts just like everyone else.’

 

These statements were made by three sophomore girls about our one black student body member, Rhea Grant. Having lived in Bridgeport all her life, she sees herself no different from any of her white peers.

 

When asked about her own personal feelings about living in a white environment, Rhea replied: ‘I feel no different. I have grown up with these kids all my life and so i have become a natural part of their lifestyles. I get along with them, and they get along with me.’

 

Residing in a house built by her grandfather decades ago, Rhea explains that this house used to stand on the outskirts of Bridgeport. Now, it lies in the heart of the town on its main street. From this Rhea proves that her family is not just one of the town’s come-and-go residents, but actually helped Bridgeport get its start.

 

Think about it? Would you feel this way if you were in Rhea’s position?”

 

At BHS, Rhea was a Student Council representative and a member of the school service organization “The Y-Teens.” She also took opportunities to share her vocal talent. In the school “Gong Show,” a fundraiser for Shop for Tots, she sang “You Light up My Life” – and didn’t even get gonged. Serving as judges were faculty members Alice Rowe, Hugh Gainer and Mary Reppert - who, as I remember, kind of stole the show.

 

Last year, Rhea and I became Facebook friends and I’ve enjoyed keeping up with her and her family. She lives in Sandusky, Ohio, and works as a direct support professional/residential monitor for Volunteers of America, a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. You can tell from her posts and comments to friends’ posts that she has faith in God and compassion for others – and, still, that ornery sense of humor.

 

She has a son, Jason, and some beautiful grandchildren, the oldest - Michael Joseph – who graduated from high school just last year. She sure was proud.

 

After Rhea graduated from BHS in 1979, she studied accounting and finance at West Virginia Business College.  She stayed in the Bridgeport area for quite some time before moving to Clearwater, Fla. where she worked for ECO-Residential. When the company branched out, she was transferred to Sandusky to manage some group homes. But that position didn’t work out, Rhea said, because of a racial issue.

 

But racism is not something Rhea said she encountered while growing up in Bridgeport, raised by her mom Mary and Great-Aunt Lucy, taking part on the Bridgeport Swim Team, girl scouts and singing in the Bridgeport Baptist Church choir.

 

“Was I happy? Yeah. I didn’t know any different,” she said. “That’s how it was back then. Someone would say, ‘Hey, let’s go swimming and I’d lay out in the sun with everyone else. I didn’t know any different. I went to Clarksburg on weekends to hang out with relatives and go to church sometimes, but other than that, Bridgeport was home.”

 

There was an occasional comment made by someone outside her circle of friends, but she said she never had trouble defending herself and sometimes, one of her Bridgeport friends came to the rescue.

Rhea said she took a lot of Bridgeport with her and that she continues to draw on her experiences here. While helping a good friend take care of a niece with spina bifida, she was first inspired to work with individuals who had disabilities. Before leaving the Bridgeport/Clarksburg area, Rhea worked for several years for the ARC of Harrison County. In her current job with Volunteers of America, she works with individuals who have mental disabilities.

 

Rhea has been through a lot over the last 20 years. She lost her mom, as well as one of her very best Bridgeport friends. She also lost son Michael when he was hit by a drunk driver and saw her younger son Jason serve time for his involvement with heroin. Shortly after Michael died, Rhea lost a great deal of weight – 100 pounds – due to stress. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and has to take care of herself and get plenty of rest. She pretty much stays to herself these days, spending time with her dog, building jigsaw puzzles and doing a little fishing when she can.

She says it’s by the grace of God that she continues her life’s journey.

 

“You have to be stronger than the hand you’re dealt,” she said. “You have to put your best foot forward, even if it’s not the best foot you have.”

 

She thanks God for that strength – and she thanks the community of Bridgeport for such a positive beginning to her life.

 

Julie Perine can be reached at 304-848-7200, ext. 2, julie@connect-bridgeport.com, on Facebook or follow @JuliePerine on Twitter.

 

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