Ruth O. Currie

Ruth was born on December 10, 1918 in Vancouver, British Columbia, to U.S. parents who were in business there, giving Ruth dual citizenship. The family briefly moved back to Seattle, Washington in 1920 but returned to Vancouver in 1923 where she grew up and attended British Columbia schools. Ruth returned to Seattle to attend the University of Washington and she worked at a variety of office jobs: typing and using office equipment.

Although Ruth applied for work at Boeing Aircraft in early November 1941, she was not offered a job until after the attack on Pearl Harbor and started working there before the end of 1941. At the time, not knowing of feminism, she hid the fact that she could type or do other office work. So Ruth was assigned to replace a man in the engineering department. That position involved answering the telephone, obtaining blueprints for the engineering department, and all around go-fer.

By early 1943, the U.S. Navy developed the women’s Naval Reserve, the WAVES. Ruth decided this was for her, as she grew up knowing about her father’s naval service in the Spanish-American War on the Battleship Oregon. She was sworn in September 1943 and was sent to Hunter College for training. After two months there, she was sent to the Navy’s WAVE radio school at Oxford University in Miami, Ohio. After graduating as a Radioman 3rd Class, she was assigned to the navy base in San Pedro, California, arriving there after a ten day home leave in Vancouver. There, Ruth’s duties included receiving radio code from land and sea sources, which she found very interesting.

Two antifeminist experiences marred her Navy life. One occurred when a soldier boyfriend visited her as he was returning to duty in the tropics. He was excited about going with her to the famous Hollywood Canteen. As they approached the door, she warned him that she would not be allowed entrance to the dance but persuaded him to go so that his war buddies, who were waiting to hear about this opportunity, would not be disappointed. Ruth was allowed to sit in the balcony, the only WAVE there! A famous young actor, Freddy Bartholomew age eleven or twelve, brought her a plate of food.

A more egregious experience happened while on emergency leave to visit her family because of her mother’s death. Her base arranged a navy flight to Seattle which required an overnight stop in Oakland. She went to a hotel where a clerk told her there were no single rooms left. She went to a nearby phone to find a room, but heard a civilian man ask for and receive a key for a single room, Ruth then took a taxi to the YWCA!

By April, the opportunity came up for a transfer to Hawaii. She was on her way there in June 1945 on a warship, either sitting on the steel deck or walking when not down below sleeping. Ruth was assigned to a radio base in the center of Oahu. This was also a positive experience especially enjoying some of Hawaii’s beaches and food. After the war ended, Ruth was on her way home in mid November on a hospital ship which was much more comfortable that the troopship.

Ruth has lived a full life with all the ups and downs of our modern society. She had a brief marriage. She also had a daughter who died, unfortunately, in young adulthood. She worked hard to improve herself and was deeply involved in many interactions with many people. She finally obtained her BS in Sociology and then completed a two-year Master’s Degree program in Social Work on the G.I. bill a the University of Washington in June of 1951. At first, she worked in a child guidance clinic in Long Beach, California for five years. This job provided excellent training in individual therapy. She then worked as a Senior Psychiatric Social Worker at Norwalk State Hospital. After nine years in southern California, urgent calls asking her to return to the Northwest were realized when she accepted a position to work at Oregon Fairview Home, later named Fairview Home and Training Center. After her daughter graduated from college, Ruth decided to try another part of the country. She moved to Washington, D.C. to become the Chief Social Worker for a private school for severely mentally handicapped children. She returned to Portland after four years and worked in a maternity clinic for low income women. When the clinic closed in 1975, she accepted a position with the state auditing long-term care facilities. She retired in 1981. Subsequently, she had a part-time private practice and worked in the home health field as a social worker.

Ruth was honored by Elders in Action with the 2005 Timeless Treasure Award. She was a charter member of Elders in Action’s board of directors, helping establish it as a private, nonprofit organization. She was heavily involved in the organization’s early years, playing a key role on health services and ombudsman committees. She also served on the state-wide Citizens Coalition for Quality Long-Term Care, which advocates for quality of life issues for older adults. She helped spearhead Elders in Action’s nationally known Elder Friendly business program, which recognizes companies for their efforts to better serve older adults.

In 1986, Ruth was invited to join the Portland/Multnomah Commission on Aging. Ruth’s lifetime of service includes helping to start the Portland chapter of the Older Women’s League. She is also a charter member of the Gray Panthers, a senior advocacy organization. She often testified to the Oregon State Legislature and helped with the final passage of the Assisted Death by Choice Bill. She has been involved with various peace and social issues which involved congressional action. She also has been very active in world-wide humanitarian efforts, working with several humanitarian groups and traveling to places including China, Nicaragua, Vietnam, and Thailand. She has remained a role model after nearly nine decades. Her work literally has made an impact on the lives of thousands of people.

Ruth was nominated to be included in the Walk of the Heroines by the Humanists of Greater Portland and the Older Women’s League in recognition of her many years of service to those in need her in Oregon and elsewhere. All of us found her to be a delightful and fun person.