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Friends, staff, coworkers, fellow judges and attorneys from as far away as Raleigh gathered recently for a special session of court for a Stanly County native and retiring judge.

Judge Kevin Bridges, a Norwood native who was valedictorian of his class at South Stanly High School, retired after a career in which he served in many roles in the justice system.

Bridges, who received a Morehead scholarship from the University of North Carolina, completed his bachelor’s degree in 1987 and, three years later, his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from UNC Law School.

He started in private practice with attorney David Chambers Oct. 1, 1990. Four years later he joined the District Attorney’s office for Judicial District 20.

In 1997, former North Carolina Gov. James Hunt appointed Bridges for Judicial District Court 20A, which at the time included Anson, Richmond, Stanly and Union counties. His first district court session was March 17, 1997, and he served in it until Dec. 31, 2008.

Bridges then was elected to Superior Court Jan. 1, 2009, and remained there until his recent retirement, having served as a senior resident Superior Court Judge for District 28 (Stanly and Montgomery counties).

Stanly County Clerk of Court Ginger Efird spoke first at the special court session, saying Bridges exhibited “the highest level of professionalism, and you set a high bar. You always enter the courtroom at the exact time court is to convene.”

Efird said when she was sworn in as clerk of court, she struggled to know how to dress for the occasion at midnight Dec. 1. She messaged Bridges, who said the attire should be casual.

“For the first time in 20 years, I was before you, you and I both in casual attire. I stood patiently and nervously waiting for you to administer the oath, and in Judge Bridges fashion, as soon as the second hand struck midnight, you administered the oath, not a minute early, not a minute late,” Efird said.

Efird also said Bridges supported her vision for the local court system, adding his work ethic and character “are of the highest standard.”

Attorney Charles Parnell, who worked with Bridges as an assistant district attorney in 1994, said he helped train Bridges, but added “it was probably more like he trained me.”

Parnell said working with Bridges and then appearing in front of him as a defense attorney were both a privilege.

Parnell said the one word it boiled down to for Bridges was respect, adding attorneys “might not always agree with what you said, with the decision or ruling you made, but you knew what you were getting. You knew he was going to know the law and you knew he was going to let you present your case.”

Stanly County Bar Association President Cameron Vick said his brief time working with Bridges had been a pleasure.

“It has been a whole lot better than Mr. Parnell and Mr. (Charles) Brown told me it was going to be,” Vick said.

Brown, who said he was the oldest practicing attorney in Stanly, told a story about coming into the lawyers’ room in the courthouse one day where attorney Fred Stokes was smoking a cigarette with a “no smoking” sign taped to the wall. Stokes summoned the attorneys to the room, Brown said, after calling district court off, and asked if any of them had voted for the no smoking sign.

“Pointing to the sign, Fred said, ‘Was there a bar meeting where we voted to have that sign put there? No there was not…this is the trouble you’re going to have around here. If you don’t look out, you’re going to have too much government in your life,’ and with that he took his cigarette and set the no-smoking sign on fire,” Brown said.

Brown then presented evidence from Stokes, who joined Brown’s law firm in 2021, that “the spirit of Fred Stokes is still alive.” The evidence was a pack of Marlboro cigarettes and a Coca-Cola.

The reason for the story, he said, was Stokes gave Bridges the nickname “Special K,” at which point Brown presented Bridges with a box of cereal with the same name.

“I want you to know that, not only Fred Stokes, but the rest of us think of you as no ordinary judge,” Brown said.

Brown noted, as a fellow UNC graduate, the other side of Bridges during one local bar association meeting. Bridges referred his colleagues to the Carolina insignia in the middle of the court of the Dean Smith Center upon the death of his fraternity brother, ESPN broadcaster Stuart Scott.

“I remember that afternoon when Kevin shared that with us. That showed a side of him that we don’t see every day: a sensitive side, a caring side,” Brown said.

Brown then presented him with a plaque from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announcing the induction of Bridges into The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society.

Bridges thanked many individuals for their contributions to his career, starting with his mother.

“She was a school teacher who nurtured my natural curiosity and instilled in me a joy of learning new things that stayed with me my entire life,” Bridges said.

Bridges also thanked his wife of 31 years, Vivian, also known as “the boss lady,” saying he still remembers “the little red sweatsuit” she wore when he first saw her moving into Craig dormitory at UNC Law School.

The retiring judge also mentioned David and Sandy Huneycutt, noting the two “opened their office and home to me” when he worked as an associate for David.

He also mentioned Ken Huneycutt, a district court judge and later DA when he joined that office.

Bridges called Brown “one of the pillars of the Stanly County Bar with his presence inside and outside the courtroom. He is a force unto itself. But when you consider his many years of service on various boards and committees across the state, you realized he is also a force multiplier through fortunate strokes of serendipity.”

The judge also thanked his court manager, Stephanie Hinson, saying he “knew within five minutes of her interview that she would be perfect for this job. Her performance has been excellent, even under some very difficult times.”

Bridges also thanked court reporter Judy Runes.

“She does a great job and I barely know that she’s even there when I’m on the bench, and that is high praise for a court reporter.”

The judge also thanked former Stanly County commissioners Gene McIntyre and Sherrill Smith, Ginger Efird, Stanly County Sheriff Jeff Crisco, Montgomery County Sheriff Pete Herron, district attorney T. Lynn Clodfelter and his staff, along with numerous local attorneys and citizens.

Paraphrasing from one of his favorite movies, “Judgement at Nuremberg,” Bridges spoke about the court system.

“Men should value justice. The courts are temples of justice, yet the code of justice does not originate within the meets and bounds of a courthouse plot or the space in a courtroom between the bench and bar. Justice originates from the character of men.”