Theresa "Maiselle" (Frank) Bridges (b. 1924) has spent a lifetime "seeking to improve the quality of life, health, and education for Indians, and manning the front line of the Indians' battle to ensure their living through treaty-secured fishing rights." A respected leader and member of the Puyallup Indian Tribe, Ms. Bridges was born near Olympia, Washington, and like many Indigenous children in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was forced to attend an Indian Residential School (or Native American boarding school) in which children were typically immersed in European-American culture.
Later, Ms. Bridges became interested in Indigenous education and health programs. Because of a high drop-out rate among Puyallup Tribe students, Bridges organized a ''mothers club'' in the Yelm-Olympia area in the 1950s to provide women support to graduate from high school. In the mid-1960s, Bridges and her husband became active in the Indian fishing rights struggle. In 1975 Ms. Bridges was one of the founders of the Wa-He-Lute Indian School, a private school at Frank's Landing near Olympia, supported by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, and serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The school curriculum is based on Washington State Board of Education guidelines, and also includes the teaching of Indigenous history, legends, and traditional values.
This image shows Maiselle Bridges during an interview regarding her recent nomination for a Jefferson Award, an honor which recognizes the special dedication, sacrifices, and significant accomplishments of individuals in service to the American people. Ms. Bridges received one of the seven Washington state Jefferson Awards given at a luncheon held March 5, 1986 at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Seattle.
Caption information source: "Theresa Bridges," The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 4, 1986, p. A8. Caption information source: "It's a record year - 189 in the race - an outpouring of admiration, emotion and love," The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 18, 1986, p. A4.
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.026.32.03, photo by Dave Ekren
