Ridgely and Ed Biddle Plan a Bequest to
Miss Porter’s School

Ridgely Horsey Biddle ’80, P ’10, ’12, ’16 and her husband Ed have included Miss Porter’s School in their estate plan for one very simple reason: “Education is a gift that no one can take away from you,” said Ridgely. “So I support the school because if I can help someone have the gift of such a valuable experience, I feel I’ve contributed in the best way I can.”

During her years at Miss Porter’s, Ridgely said she developed greater confidence by participating in extracurriculars, especially athletics. Academics were harder because of an undiagnosed learning disability, she said, but she appreciated the encouragement of so many teachers to reach her full potential. “Teachers at Porters are passionate about their subjects, and that makes learning fun—even if it was very hard at times,” she said.

Ridgely and Ed, who live in Katonah, New York, gave their three girls the option of attending Miss Porter’s and were thrilled when all of them decided to go. “Each of the girls is very different; but they all found their spot, and that’s pretty cool,” said Ridgely, who has continued her interest in athletics, teaching physical education and coaching field hockey and lacrosse at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. She also officiates women’s sports and created and still runs the largest community-based youth field hockey program in Westchester County, Bedford Field Hockey.

By including a bequest to Miss Porter’s in their will, Ridgely and Ed are carrying forward both Horsey and Biddle family traditions. “My father put his school in his will and also made a bequest to Porter’s,” she said. She and Ed are directing their planned gift to fund scholarships for those who need them. “I look at it as a way of saying thank you for what I’ve been given, and I’d encourage others to think of how lucky the gift of attending Porter’s was.”