Rita Grace Ridley

Rita Grace Ridley was born September 24, 1920, to Alberta Creekmur Chester and Alton Chester. A Dawson Springs, Kentucky, native, Rita graduated from Dawson Springs High School in 1938. The following year, she came to WKU to pursue her college degree.

In the late 1950’s, Rita started an early childhood development center in her home. A pioneer in education, she later started the first public kindergarten at Dawson Springs Independent Schools. During the summer months, she mentored young adults as the dining room supervisor at Pennyrile State Park. She also served as teacher and supervisor at Outwood State Hospital for special needs adults for 15 years.

In 1983, she accepted a position from her longtime friend Steve Beshear, then Lt. Governor, to become the Lt. Governor Mansion Director in Frankfort, Kentucky. During her four year stint there, she would frequently look after Steve and Jane’s sons, Jeff and Andy Beshear. She came to love the boys dearly and became a role model for them. When the Beshears had to be out late, Rita would read the boys bedtime stories and say prayers with them. Andy grew to call her his second mother and credited her with having a great influence in his life. When he was sworn in as governor of Kentucky in December of 2019, he used the Bible she had given him as a child. Throughout the Beshears careers, Rita was always one of their biggest cheerleaders.

After her time in Frankfort, she returned to Dawson Springs, where she spent several years training students at the Hopkins County Vocational School in the hospitality field. Her hospitality and entrepreneurial career continued as she eventually converted her family home of 65 years into a local bed and breakfast where she entertained many Kentucky visitors from throughout the U.S. and foreign countries.

Rita was a fixture in her community and especially in her church. She loved the Lord and was a faithful and dedicated member of the Dawson Springs Primitive Baptist Church. She was a true example of Christian Action, never meeting a stranger and always seeing the good in everyone. There was always a place at her table for a guest to break bread together, and she could quickly fix a banquet for 20 or more in short notice. She also served her local community in other ways as president of the PTA, member of Band Boosters and Hopkins County Ethics commission, and a Hopkins County ambassador.

Rita was married to Raymond Travis Ridley, an insurance supervisor and twice mayor of Dawson Springs. They were married from 1940 until his passing in 1971. Together they had four children, Michael Travis Ridley, Virginia Ridley Stallins, John Ridley, and Kenneth Ridley. Rita passed away on January 2, 2020, at the age of 99.

To honor her memory, John alongside other friends and family established the Rita Grace Ridley Scholarship Fund. The fund assists deserving WKU students as they pursue their academic goals. Through this fund, Rita’s powerful legacy lives on.