Ruth B. Dinbergs

Dr. Ruth B. Dinbergs (née Bauer) was born on August 31, 1921, in Gossau, Switzerland (St. Gallen). She attended schools in different Swiss cantons, most notably the Ecole St. Michel in Fribourg. After a brief stint in the Swiss Army during WWII, she joined the Swiss Foreign Office and was sent on her first mission as a clerk to the Swiss Embassy in Washington, D.C.

During that time, she continued her studies by first obtaining an equivalency certificate for her high school diploma. She then went on to earn three advanced academic degrees: Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD in History. She was pleased to tell people she was the first laywoman to obtain a Ph.D. (1949) from Georgetown University.

In 1949, Ruth married Dr. Anatol Dinbergs, a Latvian diplomat, who was also pursuing his doctorate at Georgetown University. They had three sons, one of whom died at age six in 1958.

Fluent in German, Swiss German, French and English, Ruth pursued a career in academia, joining the faculty of Montgomery College (now Montgomery University) in 1966 as a professor of history, ultimately serving as chairman of the history department. As a professor, Ruth focused primarily on 17th and 18th century European history, but she also developed and taught survey courses on Middle-Eastern and Latin-American history. Further, she introduced innovative courses to the University’s curriculum, including “Herstory” (Women in History) and “Food throughout History.” She retired in 1995.

After she retired from full-time teaching to university students, she continued to organize and lead classes on history of interesting places in the world (Middle East, Egypt, Europe, Russia) to students of all ages. These courses always culminated in a trip to the area studied, with her serving as the tour guide.

She donated many hours as a volunteer to her chosen organizations, including the Smithsonian, where she worked at the Information desk, and the Little Sisters of the Poor, helping care for severely disabled individuals. Along the way, she tutored English as a second language to newly arrived immigrants.

Widowed in 1993, Ruth was recently pre-deceased by her oldest son, Anatol Alfred Dinbergs, who died in August, 2015, after a courageous fight against an aggressive cancer. She is survived by her son, André M. Dinbergs and his wife, Holly Smith Dinbergs, as well as two grandchildren, Basile and Irina, all of whom reside in Switzerland.

A funeral mass will be said Friday, 29 January, 2015, at 10:30 am, in the Chapel of Holy Trinity Church, 3513 N St NW, Washington, D.C.; visitation will be from 9:30 – 10:30 am in the Chapel.

The family requests that memorial contributions may be made in Ruth B. Dinbergs' name to Little Sisters of the Poor.