Ruth Bebber Remembered

This is an abridgement of a longer article by Ashley Olive appearing in the “Ashland Daily Tidings” in mid May 2008.

Recently, students, faculty, and community members all mourned the loss of a unique retired Southern Oregon University professor.

Ruth Bebber, who taught at SOU (then Southern Oregon College) from 1954-86, possessed a powerful drive and was truly a woman ahead of her time.

When the norm for women was to marry young and produce a family, Bebber pursued her doctorate of philosophy in health and education at the University of Southern California in 1956. She brought American culture and American folk dancing to many South Koreans while working as an exchange teacher at Dan Kook University in Seoul.

SOU remembers Bebber as a master teacher, and her passion influenced hundreds of student teachers to love their chosen profession as she did. Those who worked with Bebber remember her sharp intellect and sweet demeanor.

A true independent spirit, Bebber paid for her education by herself and with help from VA loans, which she received after serving in the military as an aviation technician. Bebber was the sole female in a squadron of 29 men, and in the evening she played trombone in the Navy band. Though she was the isolated female, she had a reputation as a strong and capable worker, as well as being respected by all the men in her troop.

After joining SOU, Bebber became the swim coach for the school team and secretly paid for the women’s teams’ traveling expenses, as there was no funding at that time. She was very interested in supporting and strengthening the health and fitness department.

Bebber was also a strong supporter of the community, serving as president of different organizations including the SOU chapter of Phi kappa Phi, the Jackson County Chapter of the American Association of University Women and the state president of the Oregon Chapter of Business and Professional Women.

Bebber was a member of our Lady of the Mountain Catholic Church, and a Mass of Celebration followed by a reception will be held there on Tuesday, June 24, at 8 a.m. at 987 Hillview Drive, Ashland. For more information contact Laura Dennison at (505) 417-6616