Ruth Freeman Johnston was born March 17th, 1912 to Blanche Bishop and John Freeman of Binghamton. She married Bob Johnston at the beginning of World War II. They were married for 69 years. Together they had three children (Bill, Peg and John), managed to survive the Red Scare and blacklist, built 3 houses, and supported innumerable progressive causes.
Ruth attended Tri Cities College, a precursor of Harpur College, until the Depression prevented her from continuing. She worked at the YWCA and Stickley’s Photo in the ’30’s, Planned Parenthood in the ’60’s, and volunteered for many years at the Susquehanna School.
During WWII she organized war bond rallies in support of opening the Russian Front, and was passionate about civil rights, as well as peace and justice. She was a skilled organizer and forthright in her opinions. In the 1950’s, Bob went underground because he was being persecuted by the FBI. Ruth stood firm against the powers that be, and managed to work and take care of three children during that time.
Protecting the environment was part of Ruth’s everyday life; she was also an advocate for pro-choice causes. She loved music and dancing and for decades faithfully attended the Symphony, the BC POPS, the Tri Cities Opera, the Cider Mill Theatre, the Summer Savoyards, and other cultural events.
Ruth was an expert seamstress, sewing everything from tents to fancy shirts for her family. She and Bob hiked many of the Adirondack High Peaks, Denali National Park in Alaska, White Sands in Texas, and many other parks. She took lovely close-up photos of flowers and plants, and was a great gardener, consummate homemaker, and keeper of family history.
Ruth died just shy of her 99th birthday on March 4, 2011.
Information and photos supplied by Laurie Ryan from Peg Johnston’s writings and archives.