Judith “Judy” Bainbridge, a former Furman University administrator and professor and one of Greenville’s preeminent historians, has died. She was 89.
A New Jersey native, Bainbrdge received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Mary Washington College, followed by master’s and doctoral degrees in English from the University of Iowa.
After brief teaching stints at other colleges, Bainbridge came to Greenville in 1976 to assume the roles of director of educational services and professor of English at Furman University.
Soon after joining Furman, she became involved in a number of local organizations, including YWCA, the Greenville Urban League and Friends of the Greenville County Library.
She was also involved in historic preservation and authored seven books on local history, most notably “A Short History of Greenville County” and “Academy and College: The History of the Women’s College of Furman University.”
Bainbridge shared her deep knowledge of area history through more than 500 columns that appeared regularly in The Greenville News between 1999 and 2021.
She is survived by her husband, Bob Bainbridge, and her daughter, Susie Gatlin.
A memorial service is scheduled for Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. in the Garden Room of the Charles E. Daniel Memorial Chapel on Furman’s campus, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville.
