It’s a happy 97th birthday for Anna Sloggett

Anna Sloggett may be 97 years old, but still plays a mean game of golf, and she still drives.

One of the members of the North Shore Bridge Club could not help but add that it was Sloggett’s purchase of a Honda SUV that prompted her to get one herself as the club awaited the arrival of the birthday girl Thursday morning.

Gifts of lei and good wishes greeted the spirited birthday girl on her arrival, and following the presentations of greetings, Sloggett offered a witty dissertation on “her new boyfriend,” much to the delight of the bridge players who noted Sloggett’s spirit of competition keeps them on their toes.

Sloggett was born in 1906, one of five daughters, to Mary and Walter Scott.

William Hyde Rice, the last governor of Kaua‘i under Queen Liliu‘okalani, was Sloggett’s grandfather.

A graduate of Kaua‘i High School as the president of her class, Sloggett went on to become a teacher at Punahou, teaching third grade before returning home to Kaua‘i where she resumed her teaching at the Kapa‘a and Lihu‘e elementary schools.

During her 31-year teaching tenure, Sloggett had a reputation for taking her students on field trips to unconventional destinations such as Waipahe‘e Falls and Port Allen, and became known in political circles as the teacher who insisted visiting dignitaries make stops to visit her students.

A caregiver at Wilcox Hospital and a volunteer at the Kaua‘i Museum, Sloggett was honored for her work in the community by being named a Kaua‘i Living Treasure in 2002 by the Kaua‘i Museum.

Sloggett, well-known for her dedication to the education of Kaua‘i’s children, is an avid golfer, as attested to by her golfing circle of friends, and an active Bridge player.

Mabel Haas, one of the bridge club members whose three sons were educated by Sloggett, said, “She’s such a wonderful lady. She touches so many people’s lives.”