On Tuesday, longtime St. Thomas educator Ursula "Aunt Sula" Krigger turned 112 and many in the community marked the occasion Wednesday with a ceremony at the V.I. Legislature that spotlighted Krigger’s many accomplishments and contributions.
Senators passed a resolution honoring Krigger in November 2013 and, during Wednesday’s ceremony, her friends and family members were on hand to receive the official plaque and other special gifts, while Krigger called in and listened from home.
The ceremony included many musical presentations, including performances from students at the Moravian School and E. Benjamin Oliver Elementary, while everyone from the territory’s senators to Krigger’s grandchildren also offered birthday or congratulatory remarks.
Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to Krigger, who laughed and offered her appreciation over the phone.
Kicking off the program, Senate President Shawn-Michael Malone spoke about how much the country and the territory have evolved since Krigger was born in 1902.
"This is such a significant day, and we must use this opportunity to educate the community about the importance of the people that came before us and laid the foundation for what we have today," Malone said. He added that in 1902, the nation’s first movie theater opened, Theodore Roosevelt was president, sugar cost 4 cents a pound, and the average U.S. worker was making 22 cents an hour.
"In 1902, the average life expectancy was 46 years – obviously Aunt Sula has surpassed that," Malone joked. Speaking more seriously, Malone added that the territory’s landscape also greatly changed in the past 100 years.
From 1902, when Denmark initially opposed the sale of its Danish West Indies to the United States, to the official transfer 15 years later, Krigger also witnessed the establishment of "civilian government," the establishment of the St. Thomas waterfront, the installation of local telephone and communications systems and the switch locally from an agriculturally-based to tourism based economy, Malone said.
"Those blessed with a long life are our greatest resources," he said. "Their experiences, their wisdom, their perspective cannot be matched. They are our truest historians and our most able cultural bearers.”
Krigger’s grandson, Sean L. Krigger, also spoke during the ceremony about his grandmother’s history, from her childhood in Estate Neltjeberg to her transition at the age of 15 to teaching at the Bonne Resolution School on the North Side of St. Thomas with principal Lucinda Millin. After moving to the Moravian School on Back Street, and transferring to the former Abraham Lincoln School , Krigger moved to home-schooling, and then, in the 1930s, worked with the Virgin Islands Cooperative before marrying and retiring from public service.
The Legislature’s resolution, which was officially read into the record and presented to Krigger’s family Wednesday, also recounts her history and commends Krigger for her contributions to the territory.
