RUTH WHEELER
1877 - 1949
In the death of Professor Ruth Wheeler we have lost a
valued member of the comunity. Her influence at Vas-
sar was unobtrusive, yet real and positive, and as we
see it now after her death, of lasting value. She was
a kind and gentle person, always charitable and toler-
ant, yet firm in her own convictions and capable on
occasion of strong opinions. She believed with a kind
of intuitive sympathy in the best qualities of people
and tended to ignore their failings while enjoying
their foibles.
Miss Wheeler began her professional career as a bio-
logical chemist, receiving her Ph.D. from Yale after
working under Mendel. She was elected to Sigma Xi and
to the American Society of Biological Chemists, and
for many years was a Fellow of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science. Her interest in nutri-
tion early took the form of active participation in the
scientific training of dietitians. Her counsel and
encouragement in the American Dietetic Association re-
sulted in high professional standards for the Associa-
tion and its Journal. In the Medical School of the
State University of Iowa, where she was Professor of
Nutritian from 1921-1926, she established the first
nutrition internships for graduate study, which greatly
improved the professional training and status of die-
titians. She continued her interest in this field by
acting as Consultant in Nutrition to the Department of
Medicine of the Presbyterian Hospital in New York from
1926-1930.
Her appointment in 1926 as Director of Euthenics and
Professor of Physiology and Nutrition at Vassar was a
logical outcome of her interest in the improvement of
the conditions under which people live. In her develop-
ment of the Euthenics program she exhibited throughout
a steadfast patience and equanimity that did much to
temper the opposition with which any radical educational
experiment is inevitably faced. Her guidance of under-
graduates majoring in this field and her direction of
the Summer Institute from 1929-19h0 contributed not
only to human welfare but to Vassar's reputation through
out the world.
As Chairman of the Department of Physiology, Miss Wheeler
was not only fertile in ideas for improving the quality
RUTH WHEELER (Continued)
of teaching, but was most receptive to the ideas of
others and generous in her encouragement of younger
colleagues and her willingness to give them free rein.
Many members of the college who were less closely con-
cerned with her professional work, particularly her
juniors, will always remember Miss Wheeler's friendly
and stimulating interest in their work and in their
problems. She had a deep respect for the feelings
and rights of others, going to extreme lengths to
avoid interference or encroachment. This attitude
grew out of a sensitive imagination which.made it pos-
sible for her to see the other person's point of view,
while her sense of humor and her modesty enabled her
to make suggestions in an acceptable manner.
After her retirement in 1944 Miss Wheeler found the
leisure to cultivate her many interests - her fondness
for birds and flowers, her delight in children, her
enjoyment of reading aloud, her study of the history
of Dutchess County and her abiding interest in every
detail of Vassar life. She read widely in biography
and history and continued to show a keen interest in
foreign affairs. Those who knew her well remember how
eagerly she listened to the radio commentators during
the war years. In spite of increasing frailty she 4
maintained to the end of her life a perceptiveness and
awareness that made her a cherished companion and friend.
Paul A. Northrop
Jane J. Swenarton
Charles C. Griffin
Ruth E. Conklin
XII - 306-307