Ruth St. John Thomas

On a hot August day in 1927, Ruth was born the last of a family of six in the rustic farm home of her parents, Mabel and Fred St. John. Although times were tough in east central Illinois, there was always food to eat and clothes to wear due to the enterprise of her hard working parents. It was work all week, but every Sunday the family went to the little Baptist church where Ruth sat through the gospel filled with fire and brimstone. She grew up in a home without electricity, running water or indoor plumbing, but filled with love.

For eight years, Ruth went to a country school two miles away and was taught by well meaning, but poorly educated teachers. From there, she went to a small high school with an enrollment of under 100 and a faculty of five. Due to the impassable roads to high school in Toledo, Ruth lived with an aunt during the week. She received her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University where she met her husband, Dick Thomas, a handsome journalist. While Ruth’s mother was an expert seamstress, constructing clothes from all manner of hand-me-downs and the ever-plentiful feed sacks, she also made a formal dress of white satin for Ruth to wear at her coronation as the college homecoming queen.

Later, Ruth taught school for 25 years and earned her masters degree from Northern Arizona University, all while raising two children. At 58, Ruth took early retirement and started to write using her background as the setting for her historic books. Initially, she had young people in mind as her readers, but has found an enthusiastic audience among adults, especially those who grew up in a similar time and place.

Her first book, The Book of Ruth, is a memoir detailing her early life. She used history as well as her own background to write The Rawleigh Man Told Me, The Red Headed Girl and Lucy’s Ghost. Her latest book, Call Me Seamus, was written two years after the death of her husband of 65 years. At the age of 89, Ruth continues to live independently in Phoenix with her two cats, Seamus and Katie.

READER COMMENTS

"TodayI received a call from a friend I had lost contact with for many years. She is retired from the University of Illinois faculty and has just celebrated her 95th birthday. She said she can no longer see or hear as well as she did, but she keeps your book, The Rawleigh Man Told Me, by her chair. She says she has read it many times, and now just likes to hold it and think of some of the words from it. She said, in all her years, it is her favorite book. She talked about the characters, and the setting, and remembered more than I do.

Ruth, I nearly cried, for her kind words and because she took the time to tell me how she felt. I hadn't seen her in years. She said her family took her to Madison, WI, to be closer to her. And she asked that I give you her regards and to tell you how much the book means to her. This, Ruth, is what all the hard work is about. I thank you, too."

Doris Wenzel, Mayhaven Publishing

"I enjoyed this book more than any book that I have read. I recommended the book to my English teacher to read. She enjoyed it too! I would absolutely love to see a sequel to The Rawleigh Man Told Me. I hope it earns the Newberry Award." Heather Huffstututler Eighth grade student

"Your book was fun to read aloud for my mom, daughter and me. Mom stopped us often to tell us a story about when she was young as she remembered things you wrote about in your book. These are special stories we would have missed without this book. It's good for all ages Larcy Adickes

The book was pure delight. I'm glad I purchased multiple copies to share with friends across the country. Mary Ellen Doi

And, finally, this from the Editor's mother:

I sat up all night reading The Rawleigh Man Told Me. It was my favorite book you published.