Ruth Burgess showing her Legacy Circle pin

Let me tell you a story about Ruth. I first met her in 2000 when I was new to this area and looking for AAUW members who lived near us. Ruth and I had lunch. She was still working then and not active in the branch, though she was a former branch president. I got her to agree to go to meetings with me when she could, and we got acquainted. One thing she told me was that she did not go to lunch “just for fun.” Well, I did, so I got some other AAUW friends to do just that occasionally – lunch for the fun of it.

Eventually, Ruth retired, so I asked her again about lunch. She hesitated but agreed. Maybe five of us dined together. For a couple hours, we talked, laughed and sought answers to the world’s problems. On the way home, Ruth admitted that lunch “just for fun” was a valuable thing to do if you do it with interesting people.

You see, to Ruth, doing good in her world was serious business. From her work for Roseville Hospital’s foundation to Rotary to church to the Placer Community Foundation to AAUW, she found ways to aid others. To family and friends, she cared and continued to care. She was also one of the smartest people I’ve known. Right to the end, she was curious and eager to learn. Maybe something she learned could help her help others.

We were good friends. I valued her in my life and will miss her. I’m sure she would say there is still much work to be done.      –Kathleen Asay