Ruth DesJardins came from a family of teachers who valued the attainment of an education above most other achievements. Her mother, Estelle Dove, attended Winthrop College at the turn of the century during a time when it was very rare for women to attend college. Estelle Dove received her teaching degree in the mid 1900's and taught at all levels of South Carolina schools for several years in the rural tradition of a "schoolmarm" who boarded with local parents. Ruth's father, John Dove, attended Clemson and was a County Extension Agent for many years in both North Carolina and South Carolina, eventually settling in the Columbia area.

Ruth graduated Magna Cum Laude from Columbia High School in 1934, with a straight-A average. In 1938 she graduated from the University of South Carolina with honors. She received her Bachelor of Arts in French with a minor in English and was a member of the national honor society Phi Beta Kappa. After her graduation from USC, Ruth taught, as her mother had, at several rural schools in the Florence and Dillon area until World War II. She then moved to Columbia and obtained a job with the South Carolina State Employment Service. During the war, she worked for the War Manpower Commission in Columbia where she met her future husband, Norman DesJardins, who was stationed at nearby Owens. The two married in 1947.

Ruth traveled extensively with her husband, who was an Army Officer. They had tours in Germany from 1948-1952 and Japan from 1955-57, always returning to Columbia following these foreign assignments. In 1958, Dr. Havilah Babcock, head of the English Department at USC, hired Ruth as an instructor in English, although she did not have even an undergraduate degree in the subject. Dr. Babcock taught Ruth at USC as an undergraduate, remembered her from those years and recognized her potential as a teacher. Ruth remained at USC for twenty-five years until 1983, when she retired as Assistant Professor Emeritus of English. She received several awards during her tenure for her work in both Freshman English and Children's Literature. She was Chair of the Freshman English Committee for several years, received at least one Teacher of the Year award from the English Department and received numerous recognitions for her work developing the Children's Literature Program at USC.

Ruth's dedication to helping students fulfill their educational pursuits led her to create an endowed scholarship in the English Department that was funded through a bequest. The first two scholarships were awarded in Fall 2005. Through this scholarship, Ruth's legacy and commitment to education will live on at the University of South Carolina in the Department of English.

Back to Archive