Hersch, Ruth Brandt

Ruth Brandt Hersch, 87, of La Verne passed away January 17, 2006, in La Verne. She was the daughter of Harry and Mary Brandt born August 27, 1918, in Elgin, IL and was a longtime resident of La Verne. She graduated in 1936 from Elgin High School, Elgin, IL, and graduated in 1940 from Manchester College, N. Manchester, IN majoring in English and Home Economics with her minor in Library Science. From 1953 to 1955 Ruth taught kindergarten (four sessions a day) in a rented house, due to the post-war boom in population; from 1956 to 1961 she Substituted and Assisted in the Public Schools; 1962 to 1963 she retired to take Graduate Studies; 1963 to 1964 she volunteered to survey the community in order to start a Head Start Program; 1965 to 1974 Ruth was the Founding Director and Lead Teacher of Church of the Brethren Parent Cooperative Nursery School; in 1974 she received her Master of Education Degree - specializing in Early Childhood Education, from the University of La Verne; from 1974 to 1981 she was the Founding Director of La Verne College Child Care Center which became the University of La Verne Child Development Center; in 1981 she retired and continued as Volunteer for ULV Child Development Center, also helping raise money; in 1980 as the Child Development Center was located in the Hanawalt House, which was the original President's home, she and other volunteers succeeded with much work getting the Hanawalt House listed on National Historic Site Register; from 1981 to 1988 Ruth was a volunte er as Southern California Coordinator for the National Cooperative Disaster Child Care Program. This involved training volunteers who would be able in times of disaster and calling them into service for child care when a disaster occurred; from 1988 to 1991, when it appeared the University might not be able to subsidize the Child Care Center, she explored every possible alternative in the community, from combining with the Public School System, to La Verne City taking up the Program, to working with Hillcre st Retirement Community on an Inter-Generational Program; then in 1991 the answer came with the merger of the ULV Child Development Center with the Fairplex Child Development Center. This put the Center on a solid foundation and made it possible for the University of La Verne to have a high quality training center for ULV students earning degrees in Early Childhood Development and for the Center to secure and pay for the best possible Professional Staff; in 1992 she became Co-Chair of the ULV Fairplex Auction, which has been more successful every year until the present; finally in 1993 Ruth served on the Board of the Fairplex Child Development Center and after retiring was asked to continue as a Honorary Member. She is survived by her husband, Paul Swartz Hersch; children and their spouses, Steve and Janice Hersch, Tim and Carol Hersch, Peter Hersch and Linda Fieldhouse; grandchildren and their spouses, Colin and Hye-Jung Hayes, Jesse and Krystie Hersch, Cy Hersch, Tonya Hersch and David Goldstone, Ethan and Jennifer Hersch, and Chris Conlogue; great-grandchildren, Mack Goldstone-Hersch, Emily Hayes, Jackson Hersch, and Elsa Hersch. Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23 at La Verne Church of the Brethren. Private committal will be made. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either University of La Verne Early Childhood Development Scholarship Fund or the Fairplex Child Development Center. Todd Memorial Chapel, Pomona, is in charge of arrangements.
Published in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin on 1/20/2006.