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Ruth Elizabeth Becker (October 28, 1899 – July 6, 1990) was a teacher in Michigan, but she is most notable as being one of the youngest survivors of the RMS Titanic sinking on April 15, 1912. Ruth was a prominent figure within the Titanic Historical Society and one of the survivors to speak out against the removal of Titanic artifacts from the ocean.[1]
Early life
[edit]On October 28, 1899, Ruth Becker was born to parents Allen and Nellie Becker in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Ruth’s Lutheran missionary parents had four children, of which she was the eldest. Her three siblings were Luther (1905-1907), Marion (1907–1944), and Richard (1910–1975).[2] When Ruth was eight, her younger brother, Luther, passed away at the age of two due to an unknown illness.[3] In 1912, Ruth’s younger brother, Richard, grew ill in India and their doctor recommended they travel to America for treatment. Ruth’s parents, Allen and Nellie, determined that they should get Richard to a hospital Benton Harbor, Michigan.[2][3]
Aboard the Titanic
[edit]Ruth, along with her mother and two younger siblings, boarded the Titanic as 2ndclass passengers on April 10, 1912.[3] Ruth’s father remained in India and planned to join them in Michigan at a later date. At the time of the boarding, Ruth was twelve years old, Marion four years old, and Richard was two years old.[2] Aboard the ship, Ruth spent the majority of her time looking after her siblings, especially Richard. She would frequently push him around the halls in a small stroller while admiring the ship's interior.[3]
On the fateful night of April 14th, Ruth awoke to find the ship entirely silent, no motors or engines running any longer. The stewardess attempted to calm those around, but chaos ensued.[4] Ruth and her family hurried to the top deck where the lifeboats were held. Nellie Becker and her two youngest children hurried aboard lifeboat 11, but Ruth was separated due to lack of room on the lifeboat. Ruth found herself beside lifeboat 13 and a crew worker threw her into it.[3] As her lifeboat drifted away from the wreck, Ruth watched the Titanic sink and listened to the screams of those still onboard and in the surrounding water.[2]
At 4:00am on the morning of April 15th, the Carpathia reached the lifeboats at the site of the wreckage.[5] Ruth’s lifeboat was one of those saved by the Carpathia, and once onboard, she discovered her mother and siblings were also rescued.[2] The Carpathia finally reached New York with all of those it rescued at 9:25pm on April the 18th. Ruth, along with her family, stepped onto soil on Pier 54, off the Hudson River.[5]
Education and Family
[edit]Following her arrival in New York, Ruth moved with her mother and siblings to Wooster, Ohio, where her father rejoined them in 1913. She attended a local school and eventually graduated as a teacher from Wooster College.[6] In the summer of 1924, she married a fellow classmate, Daniel Blanchard (1897-1988). They moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where Ruth continued teaching and Daniel owned a dry cleaner. Together they had three children Jeanne (1925-1993), Roger (1931-1958), and Richard (1933-2010). After a twenty-two-year marriage, the couple divorced in 1943.[3][6] Following their divorce, Ruth moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan where she continued teaching for a number of years before relocating to Santa Barbara, California in 1971.[6]
Later life and death
[edit]In 1986, after years of not speaking about her experience on the Titanic, Ruth joined the Titanic Historical Society. Here she was joined by ten other survivors, in addition to 3,500 other members. As a member of this society, Ruth continued to attend meetings, conventions, and other various tours set up by this society. She even began granting interviews to certain news organizations alongside fellow survivor, Eva Hart.[7][6] In these interviews, Ruth openly spoke of her memory on the sinking and her views about the discovery of the Titanic and the removal of remains from the ship. She did not favor the removal of artifacts, as she thought they should remain a memorial site for this underwater graveyard.[1][8]
Ruth ventured out onto the ocean for the first time since the Titanic, onboard a cruise to Mexico in March of 1990. Only a few months later, on the 6thof June, Ruth passed away due to organ issues and advanced age. In accordance with her wishes, Ruth’s ashes were scattered in the water at the location of the Titanic sinking.[8]
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Ruth_Becker.jpg Becca roo32 (talk) 03:35, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
- ^ a b Slosvik, Nils M. “Ruth Elizabeth Becker Blanchard.” Edited by Sally C. Palmer, Find A Grave, Find A Grave, 24 Nov. 2003, www.findagrave.com/memorial/8124050/ruth-elizabeth-blanchard.
- ^ a b c d e “The Story of Ruth Becker: Titanic Survivor.” Titanic Universe RSS, Titanic Universe,www.titanicuniverse.com/ruth-becker-titanic-survivor-story/1961.
- ^ a b c d e f Encyclopedia Titanica. “Ruth Elizabeth Becker: Titanic Survivor.” Encyclopedia Titanica,Encyclopedia Titanica, 16 Jan. 2016, www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/ruth-elizabeth-becker.html.
- ^ Tousignant, Marylou, and Washington Post. “Children of the Titanic.” Daily Herald, Herald Communications, 6 May 2014, www.heraldextra.com/studentnews/children-of-the-titanic/article_4f52e2ba-87dd-11e1-b33a-0019bb2963f4.html.
- ^ a b Fowler, Dave. “Carpathia - Titanic Rescue Ship • Titanic Facts.” Titanic Facts, History In Numbers, titanicfacts.net/carpathia/.
- ^ a b c d “Ruth Elizabeth (Becker) Blanchard.” WikiTree, www.wikitree.com/wiki/Becker-2199.
- ^ “Edward Kamuda - THS Founder.” Titanic Historical Society, Inc., AmazonSmile, titanichistoricalsociety.org/edward-kamuda-ths-founder/.
- ^ a b “RUTH BLANCHARD DIES, WAS SURVIVOR OF TITANIC.” Encyclopedia Titanica, Encyclopedia Titanica, 28 Nov. 2018, www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/ruth-blanchard-dies-was-survivor-titanic.html.