Ruth Hanna Hood
Alrene
Kabakjian & Ruth Hood
In the fall of 1956 I entered the University of PA’s School of Education. I married in 1957 when my fiancé was drafted and sent overseas. I continued in school until he returned. After 18 months stationed in Japan, Perry returned to work until I completed my degree. I then taught in Delaware County until he finished his degree in chemistry at Penn.
Our first move took us to Bell Telephone Laboratories in North Jersey. I taught one year and later worked in Bell Labs personnel department. We traveled to several areas of the US. An opportunity came in 1966 BC (Before Children) to attend a conference and travel in Japan. We were fortunate to be invited to spend time in individual homes. We visited some of the Japanese technicians who worked with Perry during his service years. We toured with a Japanese student who had gone to Penn State. In their homes, dinner was served on tatami mats, and we were treated to a bath in a Japanese hot tub. We even managed to survive a typhoon that blew through while we were staying in a small, wooden home with paper windows.
In 1967, a new job at IBM moved us farther north to Dutchess County, NY. Our two daughters, Andrea, ‘68, and Laura, ‘71, were born in Poughkeepsie. We lived in a community originally restricted to Finns and Swedes. We enthusiastically joined the sports events and dinner/dances in the small community center and became honorary Finns. The atmosphere was that of an old-fashioned town where everyone knew each other. I was an active committee member for the community, a cake decorator, a Girl Scout leader and the scorekeeper for my girls’ softball teams.
In 1986 my whole family traveled to England and toured London, the Isle of Wight, Devon, and Cornwall. Our final week was spent operating and living on an 18-foot narrow boat with three other friends. We traveled 110 miles on four canals and operated 94 locks. The speed of life on the boat was slow, but the work kept two teenagers busy.
A transfer took us to Washington, DC, area in 1988. Tiina, our Finnish exchange student went with us. When my marriage ended, I completed a master’s degree in reading, moved on with my life and returned to teaching. During the Christmas break in 2000, I again traveled to England. On Christmas Eve, my friends and I sat on hay bales in an unheated barn surrounded by farm animals and participated in a Christmas service. The day after Christmas, Boxing Day, we sipped sherry while the hounds, horses and riders prepared for a hunt. Truly, a unique Christmas experience!
My proudest accomplishment is raising two caring, thoughtful, independent daughters. Andrea has two daughters: Bailey, 7 and Adara, 4. Laura has two children, Will, 6, and Ava, 3. Both girls earned BS and MS degrees and worked for a time in their fields. They are fortunate enough to be stay-at-home moms.
I retired from teaching in July 2004 and have gradually added interesting activities to my schedule. In the fall of 2005 I began a part-time job as a writer/editor for the biweekly newspaper in our community. I play in a hand bell choir,volunteer at the local church, and edit the AARP newsletter. I am looking forward to spending more time with my grandchildren, traveling and enjoying retirement.