455 CALKINS ROAD · HOURS & INFO: 334-3401 · REFERENCE 359-7092 · TTY 321-1499
 

RUTH WENTZ VAN OSTRAND

Dates of Interview:
June 1, 1984

Location of Interview:
Henrietta, NY

Interviewer:
Cynthia Goldstein

Length of Transcript:
20 pages

Download the transcript as a .pdf file
(printer-friendly version)

Listen to the entire interview
(this is a large file, 36meg)
                                                                                   

Biographical Summary
Ruth Wentz Van Ostrand was born on January 11, 1907 in Rochester, NY.  Ms. Deuel graduated from East High School, and then from the University of Rochester.  Ruth Van Ostrand then went on to become the first woman elected to the Rush-Henrietta Board of Education.  Ruth Van Ostrand died on June 4, 1992.

Interview Highlights
Van Ostrand speaks about her early years as a resident of the town of Henrietta, and the growth of Henrietta from a rural to a suburban town.  Ms. Van Ostrand highlights how modern conveniences, including electricity and telephones, impacted the life of residents.  Also discussed is the increasing need for more public schools in Henrietta.  Ms. Van Ostrand explains her role as member of the Rush-Henrietta Board of Education, and their efforts to centralize the school districts in Henrietta and Rush, NY. 

Interview Excerpt
“Two things happened: we built the school and we got city water in Henrietta.  The water line had gone through Henrietta all these years, from Hemlock Lake.  And the school and Henrietta had it in the school and it was in our church, because we had the lunchroom/cafeteria in our church as well as the home economics department.  I didn’t know this for a long time and so, somehow the powers that be granted water to Henrietta.” (p. 14)

About the Henrietta Oral History Project
Web design by Crafting Links