Search by Name

Add a Memory

Send Flowers

Make a Donation

Share Obituary

Jon Jack Marshall Bridgman

1930 - 2015

BORN

1930

DIED

2015

About

Stanford University University of Washington

Jon Bridgman Obituary

Jon "Jack" Marshall Bridgman

Jon "Jack" Marshall Bridgman, professor emeritus of History at the University of Washington died peacefully on March 9, 2015. He was born July 10, 1930 in South Dakota to Lloyd and Faye Bridgman. The family eventually moved to San Francisco where he lived with his parents and older brother Richard and younger brother Joel.

He attended Stanford University receiving a BA in History. Upon graduation he enlisted in the US Navy, serving as chief gunnery officer onboard the USS O'Brien, a Alan A. Sumner class destroyer. He served for three years and then went back to Stanford where he received his doctorate in 1961. He taught at the University of Washington from 1962 until February 3, 2015, when he gave his last lecture to the Past and Present Society, an informal group of former students who shared his enthusiasm for history. Professor Bridgman made many close friends during his life who will miss him greatly. None more so that Lori Anthony with whom he shared a love of movies and enjoyed dinner together nearly every night for the past 25 years.

He is survived by his sons, Geoffrey and Jonathan, their wives, Patty and Jeannie, and his grandchildren Justin, Delaney, and Ruthie. He is also survived by extended family in South Dakota, California and Colorado. His parents Lloyd and Faye and his brothers Richard and Joel preceded him in death.

In keeping with his wishes, the family will not be holding a memorial service. Remembrances in the form of donations to one of his favorite charities, SmileTrain.Org<http://SmileTrain.Org>, are encouraged. SmileTrain.Org is dedicated to changing the lives of children throughout the world who suffer from cleft lips through simple, inexpensive, and truly life changing surgery.

"When the barrage lifts."

Sign Jon's on line

Guest Book at www.Legacy.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Seattle Times on Apr. 26, 2015.

Memories and Condolences
for Jon Bridgman

Sponsored by The Family.

41 Entries

A former student

August 12, 2025

Professor Bridgman was just in my dream last night. I was getting a history degree this time! I loved his classes, kept coming back. This was in the early 1980s. You done good, Professor.

Alexander Pedersen

November 16, 2023

My name Is Alex Pedersen, formerly of Dunagan surname. I grew up next to the Bridgeman family in the Montlake neighborhood. My mother was an educator at UW. I remember how nice Mr. Bridgeman was to us, always trying to teach us something. I remember palying with Geoffey and Jonathan with my brothers Shaun and Matt.

Donald Lorentz

April 20, 2021

A great man and teacher, well remembered by all who were privileged to take his wonderful history classes.

Sue Andersson

May 29, 2016

I remember you with fondness. Your love of telling a wonderful tale from history, your love of French cooking, and your love and care for me, my two sisters, Wendy and Jenny, and of our mother Dianne. I was blessed to know you....so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye. Sue (Walker) Andersson

John W.I. Lee

March 14, 2016

Jon Bridgman introduced me to Thucydides and Tacitus, to the Somme, Kerensky, and much more. During my years at UW (1988-92( I took every course of his I could fit into my schedule. He is one of the reasons I became a historian. I feel fortunate that I was able to see him again when I came back to UW as a professor to deliver a lecture in 2008. Thank you, Prof. Bridgman.

James Bach

September 18, 2015

I am sorry to hear of Dr. Bridgman's passing. It was very evident while attending his classes to see the love he had for research and teaching. Several times in college I would find him in the cubes of Suzzallo researching for a lecture. Took several classes from him, even though I was a Business Major...how could I not? He will be dearly missed.

Ben Bratman

June 25, 2015

I teared up when I first read that Jon Bridgman had died. He was beyond question the best teacher I ever had, and I credit my ongoing love of and respect for history largely to him. During my time at UW ('83 - '87), I took him for five different courses, and he was profoundly engaging and entertaining on a consistent basis in every one of them. At each class I learned and I laughed. To this day I still find myself periodically doing an impersonation of the way he would tell stories. History is a collection of stories, and the stories he told were mesmerizing--not just because of the content but also because he was a master storyteller. Professor Bridgman was also so giving of his time and intellect when I'd come by his office to chat about something from class.

May the memory of Professor Jon Bridgman be an inspiration for all the students he ever had and all the people he ever knew. I know it is for me, and I hope his family is comforted knowing how he touched so many lives so positively.

Tammi Price

June 8, 2015

Dr. Bridgman is the only professor I had at the UW that I still remember his name. I took one of his classes my first quarter at the UW in 1992 and after that searched the course catalog every quarter to find classes he was teaching that would fit into my schedule. Unfortunately, I was only able to fit in one other class by him.

I have been a middle school history teacher for the past 15 years, and I always aspire to make history as interesting to my students as Dr. Bridgman did. I know I fail miserably every day!

So sad to hear of his passing. I always hoped to get back to WA for one of his lecture series.

Greg Spyridis

May 21, 2015

Enjoyed your Alumni Association Lectures!
Fair winds and calm seas.

Bryan Welsh

May 16, 2015

Prof. Bridgman provided a very exciting view of history and made the importance of the subject relevant to a young engineering student, who at the time was not happy to 'waste' his time taking a soft subject.

I'm so grateful that I was able to experience his passion for history.

He will be missed.

Tim McCourt

May 10, 2015

Professor Bridgeman's classes convinced me to change mt major to History. Along with Aldon Bell and George Behlmer he was my favorite teacher at the U. I will always remember his energy and pacing across the stage as he deliver always engaging lectures.

Karen Anderson

May 9, 2015

Prof. Bridgman remains one of the most profoundly engaging and enlightening teachers I have ever experienced. I thank my lucky stars to have been "foolish" enough to sign up for his 400 level Germany WWI-WWII class as a freshman double art major in 1970. Worked my tail off but it was so rewarding! I was enthralled and continued to be so, signing up for as many Bridgman history classes I could squeeze in my overcrowded schedule each year. Once he stopped me and asked me what my major was and I remember his (then) dark bushy eyebrows shooting up in surprise at my reply. But he didn't discourage me from continuing his classes. He was always so kind and helpful but especially encouraging with all his students. Severe in his criticisms but always fair, tempered with kindness and humor - as were his lectures. His classes were not to be missed ever! I am indebted to him for making history come alive and for showing me what an excellent educator should be. My reading book stacks are always piled high with European history books. I thank Prof. Bridgman for that - he was a huge influence and continues to be so even to this day.

Reading of his death was such a profound shock. He is one of those figures that come into people's lives that always remain timeless. What immediately came to mind was the memory of the announcement of one of his boys' births in 1971. The congratulations rained down on him from all the Seniors that day in class, my first Spring at the UW. He blushed deeply and grinned broadly, suddenly shy but very proud.

My condolences and deepest sympathy go out to the Bridgman family.
He was a true treasure, a unique and gifted man of such quality. The UW family shares your sorrow and loss.

Michelle

May 3, 2015

Professor Bridgman...
Thank you for making history come alive for me. I was a nervous first generation college student who felt a little unsure about this whole higher ed thing and taking your class my first quarter at UW was the best decision I made. I took every class that you offered and even received a minor in history.
I still have all of my final papers from your courses because the way that you taught made me care and understand history.
You took the time to meet with me early in the morning before class and helped me make connections between complex historical events and my own research.
One of my favorite jokes that you told us was just after the Nisqually earthquake in 2001 when you weren't sure if the ground was shaking or if it was the two martinis that you had for breakfast!
I have so many wonderful memories from your classes which were always filled with a variety of students including the Access senior students who attended your classes to listen to you described WWII as accurately and vividly as they had lived through it.
I am now back at UW, pursuing a PhD and I never had the chance to tell you how much you meant to me then as an undergrad and now as a graduate student. I am here in part because you were a good teacher, an incredible scholar, a fascinating storyteller, and someone who genuinely cared about his students.
Thank you for everything and you will be missed but never forgotten and your stories will live on.

Laura Staley

May 2, 2015

A great teacher. One of the best instructors I had at the UW. He loved his subject and he could communicate that love to his students.

Beverly Davis

May 2, 2015

I took two classes from Dr. Bridgman in the 1970s. The first was required, the second was due to Dr. Bridgman being a phenomenal teacher. He made a huge impact on me. He was a very special professor, a very special person. I feel fortunate to have encountered him in my life.

May 1, 2015

I was a student at the UW in the mid-1980s. Professor Bridgman was the reason I became a history major, and helped create a life-long passion for history. I took several classes from him, including a seminar class where he agreed to give me 1 credit for writing a paper.

You will be missed professor. Thank you for helping open up new worlds for me.

Eric Palo

May 1, 2015

I was one of the many students who majored in Bridgman we took anything that he taught. I even had the privilege of doing an independent study with Professor Bridgman. He was as engaging and thoughtful in his private discussions in his wonderful small office in Smith as he was a compelling teacher in a huge classroom in Kane Hall. The Bridgman stories are many, from why he went to every college commencement speech (after missing his own), the special robes he wore at a Presidential Inauguration, to the time we saw him so engrossed in his lecture that he fell off the stage while pacing and just got up and kept on going. Now with four college degrees of my own and 35 years in academia, he is still THE Professor of my life.

Christian Fulghum

April 30, 2015

Jon was simply one of the best teachers I ever had the privilege to study with. I took every class of this that I could. His love of history, his ability to weave in colorful stories about the people who were at the center of major events, and his presentation of the larger narrative made him a fantastic lecturer. I feel blessed to have been one of his students.

Professor Bridgman with classmates

Thor Albro

April 30, 2015

After several of Dr. Bridgman's classes at UW I had the good fortune to enroll in his study-abroad program in London in 1978. Small classes with him every week (instead of Kane 130!)and field trips around England with he and the other students was the best academic experience of all times. I went to several of his evening lectures years later as well. Too many "Bridgman" favorite stories to relate here - he was the consummate teacher and a genuinely special person.

Robin Lindley

April 30, 2015

My wife Betsy and I were very sorry to learn of the loss of Dr. Bridgman and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
Dr. Bridgman's reputation as a professor of history is legendary. He saw history as story and, in spellbinding lectures, he put a human face on historical figures large and small as he captured the spectacle, folly and absurdity of the past. He had an encyclopedic memory supplemented by a ready wit, insatiable curiosity and boundless enthusiasm. And, despite numerous accolades, Dr. Bridgman was self-effacing and humble about his many talents.
I was first introduced to Dr. Bridgman's dynamic instruction as an undergraduate at the UW in the late 1960s in his modern European history courses. His engrossing lectures and additional readings and films fueled my further study. I also was extremely fortunate that Dr. Bridgman was a gifted teacher who carefully reviewed my papers and explained the mechanics of writing as well as the principles of historical research and analysis. And, during those turbulent days at the UW, I recall vividly his efforts to assure the safety of his students as clouds of tear gas wafted over the campus.
In recent years, I had the privilege of assisting Dr. Bridgman with some research and he taught me so much I hadn't known about archival resources, innovative research techniques, and how to examine historical problems.
Betsy and I attended Dr. Bridgman's final course on the Golden Age of Hollywood in early 2015. Despite challenging health problems, Dr. Bridgman's enthusiasm and attention to his students never waned.
I'll always be grateful for Dr. Bridgman's kindness, generous spirit, wisdom, humor, and inspiration. He leaves a profound and brilliant legacy.

LYNNE

April 29, 2015

PROFESSOR BRIDGMAN WAS AN EDUCATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE. HE MADE HISTORY COME ALIVE FOR ME, LIKE NO ONE ELSE. THAT, COUPLED WITH MY TALKS WITH HIM AFTER CLASS HAD A LASTING EFFECT ON MY STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE AND MY VIEW OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE. A WARM, HIGHLY INTELLIGENT, PRAGMATIC, HUMOROUS, MAGNETIC PERSONALITY; HE PULLED EVERYONE IN WITH HIS LECTURES. CLEARLY HE WAS ABLE TO VIEW LIFE LIKE FEW ARE CAPABLE OF. I WILL DEEPLY MISS THAT HE IS NO LONGER WITH US IN THIS WORLD. HE WAS TRULY ONE IN A MILLION.

April 29, 2015

I enrolled in a History 101 class in 1966 and had the great good fortune to have Dr. Bridgman as my section teacher. Oh my! He was so passionate! He made history interesting and relevant. He was a large part of the reason why I became a history major. I have mentioned him to many people since then and I will never forget him.
Patti Rose Pritchard
Coupeville, WA

David Hay

April 29, 2015

My wife and I both took Prof Bridgman's history classes when we were dating at the UW back in the '70s. He was an incredibly inspirational teacher who was able to make even things like Bismark's economic policies seem interesting to me-generation undergrads. We will never forget his enthusiasm or his wit.

Debbie Raffle

April 28, 2015

Jon Bridgman was my absolutely favorite professor at the "U" and encouraged me to become a double major (one in history). I took over 5 or 6 courses from him and it took 3 times until I could get an "A" from him!! He was very inspirational and made history come alive for me. He will be greatly missed by all of his students. Lastly, it meant so much to me that when I graduated in the mid 80's he was part of those ceremonies too. With such a large school and so many marching, this put a personal spin on my memories of graduating.

Leana Lopez

April 28, 2015

Professor Bridgman will be very missed! I took a Western Civilization class with him the first quarter of my freshman year. He was passionate about his work and that made for an exciting class for his students. 10 years after he taught me all about Hannibal and the Punic Wars, I found myself serving at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis and living in Carthage, a place about which he loved to teach. I remember standing there over the ruins thinking about his class. He definitely made a mark on me. Sending love to his family and friends.

Peggy Shull

April 28, 2015

As a fuzzy-minded undergrad, I found Dr Bridgman to be the best, most engaging and inspirational teacher of my UW 'career'. He lit up many minds! Rest in peace, sir.

Molly Radke

April 27, 2015

Absolutely WONDERFUL teacher. I remember that when i was in the honors history program in 1963 or 64....he taught a quarter of it, and we spent the entire quarter reading Thucydidies! I NEVER thought i would get into that book, but thanks to his REMARKABLE teaching, I've NEVER forgotten it. I will never forget that wonderful professor. THANK YOU fate that I crossed paths with him. TRULY a memorable teacher, and one of the reasons I went on to teach history!

April 27, 2015

I write about Jon Bridgman's death with great sadness.

I was one of Jon Bridgman's last Ph.D. students. I received my Ph. D. under Jon in 1975. As Germans say, he was my "Doktorvater". I remember him telling me that he probably wouldn't take on any new Ph. D. students because he did not think it was right to train students, who would work so hard for a Ph. D., when the jobs for a Ph.D. in history didn't exist. In my case he was right, he prepared me to be a history professor. I would have been a very good one but the jobs weren't there. Instead, I made a career change and had a good, lucrative professional life outside of academe. But thanks to Jon Bridgman, I never lost my love of history.

Jon Bridgman was my mentor and I was his student. We were friends in the sense that a mentor and student could be friends. We weren't intimates. "Dr. Bridgman" or simply "Bridgman", as we graduate students referred to him, was a magnificent mentor and an even better teacher of history. (By the way, I never addressed him as other than "Professor Bridgman" or "Dr Bridgman" until I earned my Ph. D.; he never insisted on it as some professors did, but I never felt comfortable doing otherwise.) Quite simply, I remember him as a terrific Ph. D. advisor and a good human being. I have enormous gratitude for what he taught me about thinking about history, even though I never became a historian.

By the way, I still remember Geoffrey and Jonathan playing in Jon's office while Jon and I were talking about a chapter of my Ph. D. dissertation. The commotion unsettled me but didn't bother him at all. I guess that's a dad for you.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Jon's family and friends.

Roy Hulbert

Douglas Felker

April 27, 2015

What a large empty place has been created at the History department of the U of W. I had the great honor of having Dr. Bridgman during both of my degree achievements 73 and 76, what a great teacher. After my career started I would return for some lectures just to learn again. I retired as a airline Captain and now had time to go to his night seminars, life was good. Thank you Jon.
As Napoleon stated concerning Marshall Ney "He was the bravest of the brave", Bridgman was the "Professor of Professors". I hope all your questions are now answered.

April 27, 2015

Dr. Bridgman got me hooked on history! I used to love hearing his lectures in Kane Hall, and marveled at how he could make history come alive!. He made me decide to become a history major, and I went on to become a teacher. Thank you for inspiring countless students who were lucky enough to be in one of your classes. Nancy Hash-Class of '79

April 27, 2015

I just work for he University and met him many times. He was a good man. In the end that's all that matters.

April 26, 2015

Dr. Bridgman was my favorite History professor at UW beginning in 1966. With a major in History, I became a high school Social Studies teacher. He inspired my teaching style tremendously and was told by my students that they had never had a Social Studies teacher that made the subject so much fun. Thank you Dr. Bridgman for being such an inspiration. I have mentioned you many times over the years. May your family be comforted greatly by the many lives you touched richly.
Sylvia Teutsch Engel

Paulette Kidder

April 26, 2015

Dr. Bridgman was a wonderful teacher, and he was the reason I became a history major in the late 1970s at UW. I was very fortunate to go on study abroad with him to London in 1978--an unforgettable experience. My condolences to his family.

Donald Lorentz

April 26, 2015

As a freshman at Stanford (1960-61) I was fortunate that Jon Bridgman was the year long teaching assistant for a required year long class titled The History of Western Civilization. He was the most dynamic instructor an undergraduate could ever had. He received his PhD that year, and we were upset that Stanford did not find a way to hire him permanently. When I learned he was in fact hired by the University of Washington my concern lessened.

When I took summer and graduate school classes at the UW I made it a point to stay in touch with Professor Bridgman. He quickly became the legendary lecturer we all knew he would become, and many of my student friends proudly said they "majored in Bridgman" while in college. He was a giant among what in the period from 1960 - 2000 was an absolutely great History Department. He will be missed by so many.

Ed Arabas

April 26, 2015

Dr. Jon Bridgman ensorceled me with his approach to history. As a recovering engineering/mathematics major in 1981, my first class with this special teacher immediately changed my undergraduate degree - I took every class he offered (and of course, several others that were not his specialty) and graduated with a degree in history less than two years later. As a graduation gift to myself, I asked him for his list of books that influenced him. After demonstrating his joy at being asked, he quickly listed a dozen (including all the works of Charles Dickens as one entry). I have read them all.

He was a wonderful, engaging man. I count myself quite lucky to have crossed paths with him. Namaste.

James Stark

April 26, 2015

As I look back on my formative experiences as a graduate student at the UW in German Literature, Professor Bridgman stands out as one of the most significant influences of my academic development. I am retired from an academic career and am grateful for his part in my preparation. He invited me as a doctoral student to give a lecture in his Medieval History course in 1970. I had never addressed so many people in one place before! He invited German Lit students into seminars on German history. He sat on my doctoral exam boards and asked very provocative questions! My wife and several friends enjoyed his stimulating and informative evening History lectures after he took over for Prof. Costigan. He will be missed. May he rest in peace.
James Stark

Chris Keyes-Back

April 26, 2015

Jon was one of my first professors at the UW in the early 1970s and, without a doubt, one of the best. At first, I couldn't believe anyone could talk that fast or impart that much information in one class period!

I remember, in particular, one class I took that was in a large room. Jon was up on a stage and kept everyone on the edges of their seat with his pacing. He would walk from one side to the other, twirling his thumbs behind his back, and turn away from the edge only at the very last moment. Then back across, twirling his thumbs together in front of himself, never looking at the stage, but always turning at the last moment possible.

In the 1990s, he and my husband became friends through an evening class he taught. They were both fascinated by WWI and I remember a time when they collected money to put an In Memorium ad in a London paper on July 1st. What else but "Gentlemen, when the barrage lifts"?

Chris File

April 26, 2015

My favorite professor at the U.W., and the reason I became a history major. Such a funny, entertaining, and thoughtful teacher, his classes were one of the highlights of my university experience.

Katie Forgette

April 26, 2015

Professor Bridgman converted uninterested students into interested students--the mark of a gifted teacher. His endless curiosity was contagious. I have forgotten many things about university life, but not Professor Bridgman. He was a vivid speaker and an enthusiastic guide to all things past.

Andrew Ivy

April 26, 2015

I had a few classes with Dr. Bridgman back in the 90s, mostly history survey classes on WWII. I remember how deeply immersed he would become in his lectures, thinking about his topic so intently that he would pace back and forth across the front of the room, head down, recalling the stories that any good history teacher has to tell, and popping his head up to notice us and laugh at the funny parts of the story. These journeys into history certainly took me along and others as well; I remember more than once walking past his classes and smiling at the un-enrolled crown that gathered outside the open doors, watching him from the hallways as best they could.

I have been a history teacher in high schools for 20 years now, and it is common for me to launch into a story I recall, and pace back and forth in front of my students, head down, lost in the details, looking forward to the punch line and enjoying sharing with students. I think of him then and smile at the idea of how much fun that was being in his classes.

Farewell.

April 26, 2015

Jon Bridgeman was a fabulous teacher. As a UW student in the early 1980's, I sat through many of his lectures, even for courses in which I was not enrolled, just to hear him bring history alive. Most remarkable college professor I ever encountered.

Showing 1 - 41 of 41 results