Ruth has spent most of her life in Massachusetts. Her younger years were spent in Arlington, Massachusetts. She left there to attend Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA.
After attaining her degree, she headed for White Plains, NY to work for the Westchester County Division of Children’s Services. Her goal there was to try out Social Work to see if she liked it.
This was not encouraged by her parents, but she liked people and thought she could be helpful. After her stint there, she returned to Boston, first to get married and second to attend the Simmons College School of Social Work. Following this graduation, she worked for a Children’s Agency which was under the aegis of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. For her next employment she found her way to the Massachusetts General Hospital Social Service Department, where once again she worked with developmentally impaired children and their families. She began as a social worker, but in time was promoted to a supervisory position. After 7.5 years she left MGH to take a position as Director of the Social Service Department at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. When she started there, the hospital was six years old. The hospital was owned privately but after a short period it was sold to the Mass General after the death of its owner, Josiah Spaulding. Spaulding was a fledgling hospital, but soon grew to become a nationally recognized rehabilitation hospital.
She stayed for twenty years during which time the Department grew from eight social workers to twenty-eight plus four nurses. The Department took over Discharge Planning for the whole hospital, organized clinical services for the Outpatient Service as well as for the Addictions Program inpatient and outpatient. Services were also added to neighborhood clinics and the home care services. The Department became known for the outpatient groups that were developed for patients and families coping with chronic and catastrophic illness. Finally, a training program was developed for graduate students from graduate schools of social work.
She left after twenty years to take over as the administrator for the Council on Aging in Winchester, MA. This was a social service agency serving the needs of all Winchester elders.
This meant dealing with all issues of concern to seniors, which included health care needs, emotional issues, finances, home care, transportation issues, housing, and retirement concerns.
Finally, after seventeen years retirement arrived.
