Ruth was born in Los Angeles on November 17, 1931. She was a fourth-generation Californian. Her great-grandfather, Lyman Stewart, moved west and was the founder of Union Oil and co-founder of Biola University.
Ruth was raised in Pasadena and attended Polytechnic School during her elementary and middle school years. Her high school years were spent at the Master’s School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. She then attended Pomona College in Claremont, California. She lived in San Francisco several years with friends.
In 1953, after moving back to Pasadena, she married William L. Martin II. She lived in San Marino for most of her adult life and was active in many community groups and volunteer endeavors, including Friends of the Library and Reading for the Blind. She was also an award-winning actress in various community theater groups, including the San Gabriel Community Theater and the Nine O’Clock Players.
In her later years she enjoyed spending time with family, working with computers, gardening, reading, and meeting monthly with a group of her community theater friends aptly calling themselves “The Incredibles”.
Ruth was a generous donor to many charities in the Pasadena area. Much of her giving was done through her donor advised fund at the Pasadena Community Foundation. When she passed away in 2013, her daughter gifted the balance in her mother’s fund to create the Ruth Stewart Martin Endowment. This legacy ensures that Ruth’s generosity continues to give to her community forever.
THE POWER OF ENDOWMENT
Endowments are the cornerstone of PCF’s mission to build hometown legacies. The corpus of each endowed fund is invested with PCF’s portfolio for long-term growth. Each year, the endowments generate the funds that support PCF’s local grantmaking, which enriches the arts community, protects our environment, provides health care and critical social services, and bolsters public education in Pasadena. Endowments are permanent legacies for our community; these funds will continue to grow and provide philanthropic support forever. Learn more about creating an endowment at PCF.
Created January 2014