Oral history with Mrs. Sarah Harris Ruffin

              Oral history with Mrs. Sarah Harris Ruffin
F341.5 . M57 vol. 733
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Biography
Mrs. Sarah Harris Ruffin was born on April 15, 1914. Her parents, Douglas Hams of Selma, Alabama, and Fannie Parker of Vossburg, Mississippi, came to Hattiesburg in the early 1900s. The family lived at 913 Mobile Street. Mrs. Ruffin had one brother, Douglas, and three sisters, Leola and twins, Elizabeth and Idella. She and her husband, James Martin Ruffin, were married in Hattiesburg in January 1944. At the time of the interview, she lived in Brooklyn where her family consisted of a niece, Fannie Cole Dickerson; Mrs. Dickerson's husband, Bennett, and her two children, Tracy and Matthew; and the wife of a deceased nephew, France Cole. Mrs. Ruffin's niece, Vivian Sue Cole Route Dyess, lives in Hattiesburg, as do Mrs. Dyess' two sons, Jeffrey and Jesse Route.
When young, Mrs. Ruffin was did domestic and warehouse work. In 1949, she began working at the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital as a nurse's aide. She also worked as a practical nurse for the Green Point Hospital in Brooklyn, New York; for the New York City Health Department; and for the Hebrew Home for the Aged.
Mrs. Ruffin believes that " it is important to keep busy, stay active, and keep involved in different activities." She is a member of the New York State Practical Nurses Association and St. George Association of Practical Nurses. She attends the annual meetings of the New York State Practical Nurses Association, and each year she lobbies in Albany and in Washington, D. C., as an advocate for senior citizens and children. She is active in the Zion Baptist Church, where she has been a member of the Nurses' Unit and the Missionary Board. She served as a Girl Scout leader for over twenty years, and for many years, she participated in the New York Lion's Club Christmas parties held at Macy's Department Store for needy children. In addition, she takes arts and crafts courses, and each summer, she vacations in Hattiesburg and in such diverse locations as Seattle and Nassau.
Mrs. Ruffin's activities have earned her many awards, including the following: Outstanding Community Leadership Award from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Outstanding Health Services Award from the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, the Outstanding Recognition Award from the Interfaith Medical Center Advisory Board, the Controller's Award for Lifelong Commitment as an advocate for senior citizens, and a
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