Ruth P. Baynes

RUTH P. BAYNES, daughter of the late Emmett and Lucy Pugh, was born on September 22, 1933 in Charlotte Court House, Virginia. She departed this life suddenly, December 31, 2010. Ruth was educated in Charlotte Court House, Virginia Public School System and she graduated from Central High School in 1950. She matriculated to Virginia State University but after one year of attendance, she transferred to the then Morgan State College, where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1956. While a student at Morgan she was inducted into the Promethean Kappa Tau Freshman Honor Society. Ruth met Holice, the love of her life, while they were students at Central High School in Charlotte Court House, Virginia. Their love of sports and each other drew them together. During their time at Central, Ruth played volleyball and basketball. At one point, they were each captain of their respective basketball team. In 1951, Holice was drafted into the United States Army. After completing his tour of duty, he joined Ruth in Baltimore, Maryland and they were married on June 12, 1954. From this union, one daughter, Terri, was born. From the day they met until her untimely passing, Ruth and Holice spent sixty years loving each other. They were truly soul mates who enjoyed watching sports, traveling, and worshiping together. Ruth began her stellar teaching career in the Baltimore City Public Schools in 1951, one year after the birth of daughter, Terri. During a span of more than three decades she taught physical education at Frederick Douglass High School, School 181, and Harlem Park Middle School, where she finished her teaching career. Both she and Holice retired in 1990. At her retirement party, she was saluted by the Baltimore City Public School System for thirty-three years of excellent service. She also received a Certificate of Merit from former Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke for her many years of dedicated service to the children of Baltimore City. Ruth received her early Christian education from Beautiful Plains Baptist Church in Charlotte Court House, Virginia. In 1965, Ruth jointed Trinity Presbyterian Church where she served as a faithful member until her passing. She was very involved with Trinity Presbyterian Women (TPW), serving as Moderator on more than one occasion. Ruth took great pleasure in serving as chair or co-chair of the Women’s Day Brunch Committee and especially delighted in coordinating the annual fashion show that took place during the brunch. In 1994 she received an Honorary Life Membership from TPW in recognition of her outstanding service to the church and to the women of Trinity. A strong advocate for Christian education, she taught Sunday school, led the Presbyterian Youth Fellowship, helped coordinate Vacation Bible School each summer, and co-led the TPW, Thomas P. Fraser, III Bible Study Circle which met one Saturday each month. An ordained elder, Ruth also served as Trinity’s Clerk of Session for eleven years. Ruth’s commitment to service was not limited to Trinity. She was a member of the Charlotte High Alumni Association, serving as its president for eight years. She was a member of the Howard L. Cornish Chapter of the Morgan State University Alumni Association and she was a life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people. Stylish from head to toe, Ruth was a fashion plate to the core. She always made sure that her shoes, bag, and hat matched whatever she was wearing. Her impeccable sense of fashion even extended to Holice, who was as dashing as she was glamorous. Several church members wistfully recalled the two of them showing up in color coordinated outfits on church trips. Ruth loved to shop, read, travel and play pinochle. She was a member of the Elchonips and the CC Club. Family was important to Ruth. Each June, she and Holice traveled to Charlotte Court House, Virginia over Father’s Day weekend to attend the annual family reunion. In addition to her for Holice and Terri, a source of great joy to Ruth was her grandson Mauryce, whom she affectionately called, Granny’s Sugar.” They truly enjoyed each other’s company. They shopped together, went on cultural trips to the museums, and engaged in intellectual conversations about any and everything. She was Mauryce’s favorite person. After a lifetime of giving, loving, and being loved, Ruth leaves to cherish her memory: her devoted husband, Holice; one daughter, Terri; one grandson, Mauryce; four sisters Irene McBride, Lily Mae Pugh, Avon Dean and Lucy Washington; two brothers, Wilbert Pugh and Julius Pugh; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Ruth P. Baynes

September 22, 1933 - December 31, 2010