Ruth Weimer Mount
Information on the Ohioana Ruth Weimer Mount Internship
Ruth Mount was unique and special as a person; her spirit; her essence; her joy in living; her commitment to
friendship; her calm, unrushed manner; her positive outlook and easy control of herself and all she did; her
lifelong interest in and support of young people and her belief in their value; her leadership, vision and
integrity; her clear thinking of how vision becomes reality; her remarkable skills in administration and
implementation; her concerns for each person's well-being; her ability, as the chair of a meeting, to let all be heard
and to bring about a consensus with everyone's views respected; her strength in handling unpleasant tasks with
grace; her joy when others were recognize, which she had often helped to bring about; her gracious acceptance of her
own recognition, but her overriding interest in the acknowledgement of others; her concern for others because
she truly cared about people of all ages.
This native of Pekin, Illinois, was a graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.A. in English and
an M.A. in counseling and guidance. She came to Ohio in 1953 to join the staff of the dean of women at The Ohio
State University. In 1961, she was appointed associate dean of women, in 1967 the associate dean of student relations,
and in 1968, the first dean of students. A year later she resigned and married John T. Mount, who was vice president of
student affairs. (At the time, only one marriage partner could hold an administrative position with the university.)
After her marriage, Ruth was active as a university volunteer. Mortar Board and the Alumni Association were
special interests. She was also involved with community organizations, including Buckeye Boys Ranch,
Central Ohio Heart Association, Children's Hospital, Columbus Junior Theatre, Columbus Symphony Orchestra,
Council on Ethics in Economics, Franklin County Children's Services, Friends in Action, the Ohio Theater, Planned
Parenthood, Riverside Methodist Hospital Development Council, United Methodist Children's Home, United Way, and,
of course, the Ohioana Library Association.
In 1976, Ruth was encouraged by Harriet Bricker, a former First Lady of Ohio, to accept the appointment of
Governor James Rhodes to the Board of Trustees of the Ohioana Library Association. She served from 1976 until her
death in 1997 and providing outstanding leadership as its president during the transitional years from 1985 to
1992. She initiated our first enrichment campaign, our first long-range strategic planning process, the
formalization of the Ohioana Awards solicitation and selection process, and the renewed effort to increase
membership. Through her efforts, the Alice Louise Wood Ohioana Award for Children's Literature was established,
and educational programs and services for youth were expanded.
The Board of Trustees, friends and family wish to pay tribute to the work and memory of Ruth Weimer Mount by
establishing and endowing a student internship with the Ohioana Library in her name.
The goal of the annual program is to provide learning opportunities for Ohio college students.
The internship is open to juniors, seniors or graduate students who are majoring in fields related to the
programs and services of Ohioana: art, communications, education, English, history, journalism, library science,
music, not-for-profit administration, theatre.
The specific responsibilities of the intern will be determined within the mission and programs of the
Ohioana Library Association and the interests and expertise of the student.
The application deadline is January 15, 2008. The internship with begin in March and end in June.
Income generated from the Ruth Weimer Mount Memorial Endowment Fund will support the costs of the internship
program.
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