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Ruth was born in 1903 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents placed tremendous emphasis on education and culture,
and sent Ruth to the prestigious University of Chicago Lab School, where "knowledge was poured into us. I
loved the exciting and stimulating way we were taught," Ruth wrote. Ruth met her husband-to-be, Ferdinand
Isserman, during her freshman year at University of Illinois, while he was studying to become a rabbi. When
her two children were small, Ruth became interested in child development and the Progressive Education
Movement, and studied child development at University of Toronto, University of Iowa, University of Chicago,
Vassar College, and Washington University.
The Issermans moved to St. Lous is 1929 to join Temple Israel. Just a few years later, in 1932, Ruth's
7-year-old daughter came home from religious school complaining that she hated it, but loved the small,
progressive community school she attended. Ruth made it her business to find out why. For the next eight years,
Ruth applied her child development and "new education" strategies to the religious school (where she became
principal in 1930). The changes she incorporated-with enthusiastic cooperation from teachers and, eventually,
parents-drew attention from religious school educators from across the country.
When Ruth and Ferdinand visited their daughter at a well-respected (but highly competitive) camp, they were
surprised to see how many campers were "unhappy and dejected." Ferdinand suggested Ruth start her own camp,
where she could apply all she'd learned about child development. The idea of Camp Chickagami was born. Ruth
devoted much of her time to the camp between 1939, when Chickagami was founded, and 1962, when she had to
close the camp to tend to her husband's health. To her dying day at age 100 in 2003, Ruth was a role model for
women and girls of all ages. The impact she made on girls' lives through Chickagami created a ripple effect
that lasted as they grew into adults and had children of their own.
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