Ruth Eleanor Bondy Linvill

Ruth Eleanor Bondy Linvill, former Vice President of the American Red Cross, died of natural causes at her home in San Rafael, California, on October 10. She was 96, and surrounded by her five children.

She rode the crest of the 20th Century wave of women’s independence, graduating from college with a Bachelor of Arts degree, serving on the Battle Front in World War II, raising seven children with her Army officer husband, gaining valuable management experience as a volunteer, and ultimately reaching the highest executive levels at the American Red Cross. She was the first woman ever to hold each of her last three positions, preparation creating opportunity. Her life was dedicated to serving others.

Ruth grew up in Edgemoor, Bethesda, MD, the daughter of Robert E. and Ruth Bondy. She began her Red Cross career as a shy 14-year-old after her father, Director of Red Cross National Disaster Relief, signed her up. She volunteered through high school at Walter Reed Hospital, and this intersection of the American Red Cross and the Armed Forces would be central to her life for the next fifty years.

She was active at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School where she was voted “Nicest Girl,” continuing on to Ohio Wesleyan University where she was a member of Delta Gamma Sorority, was crowned Homecoming Queen, and earned a degree in Comparative Literature, a lifelong interest.

The Pearl Harbor attack occurred in her senior year and Ruth was eager to do her part for the war effort. Though underage, she managed to secure a spot in the Red Cross Clubmobile Program, sailing to North Africa as a “Donut Dolly” in 1943. She was attached to the 85th Infantry Division, one of three American women among 15,000 men. As Clubmobile Captain, she served in the Mediterranean Theatre, living in tents across North Africa and “up the boot of Italy.” The women offered a smile from home, comfort to wounded soldiers fresh from the battlefield, a steady hand to write letters home, and Ruth was a killer jitterbug partner. They visited a different unit every day with hot coffee and 4000 freshly made donuts.

In Italy, Ruth transferred to the Clubmobile Unit with the 1st Armored Division. Soon after, the Division Commander introduced her to LTC Robert R. Linvill, whom she would marry in 1946 at the Walter Reed Chapel in Washington, DC.

After spending two years on the Front and achieving the equivalent rank of Captain, Ruth was awarded the Armed Forces Bronze Star. In a life filled with adventures, she called this her greatest.

After they married, Ruth and Bob chose an Army career. They moved 16 times, to stations as varied as Rio de Janeiro, Kansas and Hawaii. At every post, Ruth volunteered for the Red Cross and as Bob rose through the ranks, so did she. Her inspirational commitment to helping soldiers and their families was well known, as was her talent for managing. As Chairman of Volunteers at Fort Bragg, NC, the largest military installation in the country, Ruth started the Nursery School program, ran clothing drives, and endlessly recruited more volunteers. In addition to the Red Cross, Ruth volunteered for local and national organizations, including day care centers, school boards and the USO. In Florida, during Bob’s year in Korea, she got a teaching credential.

The family moved to Tiburon, CA, after Bob retired from the Army and Ruth worried she’d be bored. After an encouraging family conference, she began a professional career at age 51, accepting a job with the Red Cross Western Area, in San Francisco. There, she was the Director of Volunteer Personnel for twelve states, a task for which she had been well prepared by the Army. She had four children still in school and the job required long hours and travel. Ruth was always quick to point out that her success was due to her family’s unwavering support and understanding. Having it all wasn’t easy, she’d say, but it was worth a try!

In 1975, Ruth was assigned a temporary Red Cross Disaster position at Camp Pendleton’s Vietnamese Refugee Camp. Hundreds of refugee children were running unrestricted in the Camp fields, so Ruth organized 250 preschoolers into a Day Care Center which she created and supervised. Now, as the children played, sang songs and learned English, their parents were free to stand in long lines, required for processing and entrance into the US. By the time Ruth returned home, eight Day Care Centers were up and running. This program was among her proudest achievements.

Next, after six years in San Francisco, Ruth was tapped for the first of three executive positions she was the first woman to hold at the American Red Cross. Promoted to Director of Operations for Europe and the Middle East, she and her family moved to Stuttgart, Germany, for three years. She loved the job, “away from the flag pole,” and she found great satisfaction supporting the needs of American military members and their families.

From here, Ruth was promoted to Manager/CEO for the Southeastern Area, based in Atlanta, assuming responsibility for all Red Cross operations in thirteen Southern states. She remained here for two years.

At age 62, eleven years after Ruth had begun her professional career, she was promoted to Vice President, Emergency and International Operations. When she arrived “home” at the Washington, DC, headquarters, she was surprised and pleased to find she had been assigned the same office her father had occupied fifty years before. Her new supervisory duties included Disaster Relief, as had his.

On retirement in 1986, Ruth was honored with a military parade at the Presidio of San Francisco, where she was awarded one of the Defense Department’s highest civilian honors, the Medal for Outstanding Public Service. A Red Cross commendation stated, in part, “from the combat zone to the Vice President at the National level, you set and maintained a standard of service excellence that continues as a model for all.”

Ruth’s husband Bob died soon after their move back to California. She continued her volunteer work, serving notably with the Marin County Commission on Homelessness, and on various committees in her Homeowners Association at Villa Marin. She was an avid reader, a passionate collector, an enthusiastic patron of the arts, and she pursued her great love of travel on four continents and islands in between. Ruth loved music, movies, and surfing the web. She possessed a ready smile, a quick wit, a steadfast optimism and, to the end, an interest in current events. Her exceptional love of life fed her belief that every new experience was an adventure.

Her children and grandchildren were the joy of her life. She is survived by Ann Witherspoon of Fairfax Station, VA, Jack (Helen) Linvill of San Diego, CA, Gay (Kathy Ketchum) Linvill of Los Angeles, CA, Rick (Marie) Linvill of San Diego, CA, Mark (J. Ritchie) Linvill of Seattle, WA, and Mike Linvill of San Rafael, CA. Her grandchildren include Pam and Robert Witherspoon; Daria, Michael, and Robin Linvill; Ryan and Justin Linvill; and Eleanor Linvill; great-grandchildren Caleb and Tevne Witherspoon-Gutheim.

Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery with her late husband, Maj. Gen. Robert R. Linvill. Services are pending.

In lieu of flowers, Ruth would be very appreciative of donations made to the great causes of her life, Army Emergency Relief (https://www.aerhq.org/) or The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund (http://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief).