[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 175 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6661-S6662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO RUTH SKIDMORE

 Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and Mr. 
Hagerty, I ask unanimous consent that the following remarks be printed 
in the Congressional Record to honor Ms. Ruth Skidmore of Oak Ridge, 
TN.
  By the end of the Second World War, there were almost 30,000 Army 
nurses on Active Duty. These brave healers served on the home front and 
across oceans, caring for the wounded, and bringing hope to thousands 
of American and Allied servicemembers.
  On November 2, 1943, a young lady named Ruth Skidmore joined their 
ranks and helped guide her compatriots on the frontlines through one of 
the darkest and most violent periods in American history. On October 
13, 2022, Ruth celebrated her 100th birthday, and it felt appropriate 
that we should in turn celebrate not only her service to this country 
but her enduring legacy of service to her community.
  Ruth Skidmore was born 100 years ago in Fort Wayne, IN, the sixth of 
seven children. She held an afterschool job at the one-room schoolhouse 
across the street from her home, cleaning chalkboards and erasers for 
10 cents a day. Following her father's advice, Ruth deposited her 
earnings in a savings account--a responsible decision indeed. 
Unfortunately, she lost all $13 of her savings in the crash of `29.
  To this day, Ruth is still mad at Herbert Hoover.
  She is a graduate of Hanover College, where she was crowned May Queen 
in her senior year. After college, Ruth contracted an eye infection and 
moved in with her uncle, who was an Army doctor. He suggested that she 
move to Arizona, believing that the dry air would aid in her healing. 
As it turns out, this piece of advice would change the course of Ruth's 
life. She moved to Tucson and signed up for Army Cadet School. The war 
was on, and everyone had a role to play. After the war Ruth moved to 
Oak Ridge, TN; after a short stint in Fort Lauderdale, FL, she returned 
to the Volunteer State to work as an industrial nurse at the Y-12 
National Security Complex.
  Over the years Ruth took on the duties of a wife and a mother, but 
she never stopped serving her community. While raising her family, Ruth 
worked part-time as a nurse and especially enjoyed her 2 years working 
in Appalachia.
  Today, Ruth lives in Oak Ridge, where she indulges her green thumb 
and a love of music. She has always had a large garden and, as she puts 
it, was growing organic vegetables before it was cool. At the age of 
60, Ruth threw herself into music lessons and developed no small talent 
on both the guitar and the piano. She regularly dazzles her friends and 
neighbors as part of a veterans' band.
  Ruth, what a life you have lived. On behalf of all Tennesseans and 
our colleagues in the U.S. Senate, we wish you a very happy birthday 
and as much joy and love as one person could hope for in the coming 
year.

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