Mitchell, Ruth Crawford, 1890-

Career: born June 2, 1890, Atlantic Heights, New Jersey; daughter of Stanford and Gertrude (Smith) Crawford; B.A. Vassar, 1912; M.A. Washington University, 1915; married LeRoy Bradley Mitchell, November 27, 1923. Activities and honors include Social Survey of Prague sponsored by War Council of the Y.W.C.A., U.S.A.; Czech-American Summer Training School for Social Workers; return trips in 1925, 1936, 1946, 1961, 1965, 1967, 1969; Treasurer, Masaryk Publications Trust, 1959- ; The Cross of Knight of the Order of White Lion, presented by President Liberator Tom? G. Masaryk; decorated by the Yugoslav, French, Polish, and Italian governments; David Glick Award for distinguished service in the field of International Affairs from World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, 1966; Women's Press Club of Pittsburgh Award for distinguished service in field of International Affairs, 1966; Honorary degree of doctor of humanities, University of Pittsburgh, 1966; Honorary Benedictine Oblate, Basilica of St. Justina, Padua, Italy, 1969.

Social service worker with a distinguished career in the field of international affairs.

Ruth Crawford Mitchell was assistant and field secretary to Edith Terry Bremer, National Secretary of the YWCA National Board, Immigration and Foreign Community Work.

Ruth Crawford Mitchell was born on June 2, 1890 in Atlantic Heights, New Jersey. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College, then earned a Master of Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1914 she became the Field Secretary for the Immigration and Foreign Community Program of the YWCA, establishing and staffing centers to help immigrant women adjust to life in the United States. When the United States entered World War I, she helped open "hostess houses", which were designed to help foreign-born soldiers in the United States Army.

In 1924, Mrs. Mitchell came to the University of Pittsburgh where she first lectured in economics and later chaired a project to learn more about the nativity of Pitt students. Over a 4-year period, information was collected on the ethnic background of students applying for admission and on their parents. Mrs. Mitchell was then asked to assist in the design of Nationality classrooms for the Cathedral of Learning. A total of 19 Nationality Rooms were constructed between 1938 and 1957, representing the various ethnic groups in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

Mrs. Mitchell remained at Pitt until 1956, with a hiatus from 1944-1946 to serve with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency in Egypt. She retired in 1956 as Director Emerita of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Program. During her career, Mrs. Mitchell received many awards, including Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa, and the Chancellor's Medal, both from the University of Pittsburgh. Mrs. Mitchell died on February 4, 1984 and is buried in Pepperell, Massachusetts.