Retiring GPS associate head and upper school principal Rickie Pierce stands next to her portrait with granddaughter Lea Taylor Mulligan in the Rickie Pierce Reading Corner in the Girls Preparatory School library, which was recently dedicated to her by the faculty.
Photo by Emily CrismanRickie Pierce is a mother, former principal of Girls Preparatory School and a one-time delegate to China.
On Feb. 8, she’ll become a part of an 88-year Chattanooga tradition as she receives the distinguished service award from the Chattanooga Kiwanis Club.
The Kiwanis Club focuses on helping children in the community, and Pierce said she’ll be proud to see her name alongside those of past award winners.
“You read the list and it’s sort of been a Who’s Who of Chattanooga, and it really humbles me,” she said. “It’s going to be a very big honor. I was looking over the winners, and a woman has not had it by herself since 1989.”
When choosing an annual winner, Kiwanis Club members look for Chattanoogans who have spent their lives helping the community in a variety of ways.