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“My mother gave me my name. Ms. Henry taught me how to spell it,” says Rodney Dobson, member of the Hannah Henry Circle, a grassroots philanthropic organization in Ridgely.
Dobson, along with a group of nine other Circle members, honored the legacy of their beloved teacher, Hannah Henry, by giving teachers and staff in Ridgely Elementary School a cupcake and rose, early morning on April 8, 2025.
Hannah Henry, who died on Jan. 21, 2021, at 107 years old, was an elementary school teacher for over 44 years. Born in Odessa, Del, Henry received her Bachelor of Science from Morgan State College and Teaching Certificate from Bowie Normal School. Sharon Crossling and Althea Tilghman, members of the Circle, both taught with Henry.
The annual ceremony honoring Henry began in 2019 before her death by the Circle, in conjunction with the Ridgely Historical Society. Town of Ridgely official named April 8 as Hannah Henry Day. She was one of the longest living residents in Ridgely, and her contribution to the children of the town is memorialized by the dedication of a road in her name.
