Educator, author.
Born at Winnipeg on 21 January 1907, son of John Ruth (1877-1942) and Gudrun “Gerty” Palson (1874-1962), his childhood was spent on the family farm near Cypress River and he attended Bru School. After leaving school, he worked on the farm for a few years then attended the Jon Bjarnason Academy, United College, University of Manitoba, and Central Normal School, receiving BA, MA, BEd, and MEd degrees. He studied Old Norse as a child and took undergraduate and graduate courses in Old Norse and Icelandic language and literature.
His teaching career was spent at schools in rural areas, small towns, suburbs, and cities, including at Jon Bjarnason Academy (1934-1936) and Gimli High School (1965-1966). During the Second World War and in the post-war years, he was an inspector for the Canadian government. He wrote two books: Educational Echoes: A History of Education of the Icelandic-Canadians in Manitoba (1964) and The Vinland Voyages: The Icelanders Discover America and Write the First Canadian History (1965). He was a member of the Masons (Ancient Landmark Lodge) and Lutheran Church.
He died unmarried at the Health Sciences Centre on 31 December 1987 and was buried in the Bru Cemetery.
Birth registration [Roy Herbert Ruth], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
A History of Education of the Icelanders in Manitoba by Roy Herbert Ruth, MEd thesis, University of Manitoba, 1960.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 5 January 1988, page 38.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 15 April 2023
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