Mary Ruth '66, director of alumni and parent relations at Elon since 1995, is leaving Elon in December to serve as a volunteer with the United Church of Christ. Details...
She and her husband, Bill, also a 1966 Elon graduate, will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., in January. They will work as volunteers at the Menaul School, a private school for students in grades 6-12, through the UCC’s Partners In Service program. The program places volunteers of all ages and experience in churches, schools, shelters and other community service organizations throughout the country. Their appointment at the Menaul School will last until May, when they can choose to remain there or accept another volunteer assignment.
“This is a great chance for us to try something new and be of service,” says Ruth. “Bill and I have been thinking about this for some time, and we’re excited because we don’t know exactly what we will be doing. Whatever the school needs us to do is what we’ll be doing.”
Before she joined the Elon staff, Mary Ruth worked in a variety of positions. She recalls that she was one of the first Elon graduates to be hired as a computer programmer when she took a job with Aetna Life and Casualty in Hartford, Conn., in 1966. “I had degrees in math and religious education, Aetna was looking for people who were organized and logical thinkers, so they made me an offer.” She also served as an elected tax collector in Connecticut, worked for the Connecticut Conference of the UCC and was executive director of Allied Churches of Alamance County.
Under her leadership, Elon’s Parents Council has developed a reputation as one of the premier organizations of its kind in the country. Alumni are involved with a variety of campus activities through the Elon Alumni Association and its governing body, the National Alumni Executive Board, and Ruth was active in the promotion and development of the first alumni and parent relations Web site.
“I’ve made a really strong effort to make alums feel welcome on campus and to help them feel connected to the Elon of today. There is an improved level of involvement between alumni and the campus community and I hope I’ve played a part in that.”
“Mary has done a wonderful job as Director of Alumni and Parent Relations for the past seven years,” said Nan Perkins, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “She has created several new programs and involved thousands of alumni and parents in the life of the university. As an alum herself, she has done a tremendous service to her alma mater, and we will miss her.”
A national search for a new director will be launched soon.