\n<\/strong>Student 1937-1940<\/strong>
\n Bookkeeper 1942-1943
\nCountry Dance Teacher 1942-1943
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Initiator of Alumni Relations Board 1970s Ruth Shuler, student at PMSS, as Pack Horse Librarian, sharing a book with community children. c. 1941.<\/p><\/div>\n TAGS: <\/strong>Ruth Shuler Dieter ;\u00a0Great depression ; Grace Nettleton Home ; boarding school ; Abilene Public Library ; Pack Horse Library Project ; Works Project Administration ; Franklin D. Roosevelt ; cooperative store ; doctors ; nurses ; secretaries ; baseball ; swimming ; folk dancing ; octet ; operetta ; bookkeepers ; Berea College ; medical receptionists ; John Palmer Dieter ; alumnae ; Kentucky Colonel ; \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The experiences of Ruth Shuler Dieter in her early years not only taught her to deal with adversity as well as appreciate the good things life had to offer\u00a0but also made her keenly aware of the needs of others. Born c. 1922, she was old enough to remember the hardships of the Great Depression. It was then, in the 1930s, that her father deserted the family and she was placed in the Grace Nettleton Home in Harrogate, Tennessee, an orphanage for homeless mountain girls. Fortunately, she had an aunt who, recognizing her abilities, provided the funding that Ruth needed to attend Pine Mountain Settlement School (PMSS) in Pine Mountain, Kentucky, a boarding school at that time.<\/span><\/p>\n The School, which she attended from 1937 to 1940, became in Shuler’s words, “her real home.” An article in the Abilene Public Library series<\/a> \u201cAbilene Heroes\u201d noted that \u201cThere she learned much about giving of herself, about leadership, about hard work, and about human nature\u2026.\u201d Each PMSS student was expected to work, such as cleaning the director\u2019s house, as well as attending classes. She first learned accounting at the school, a skill that she used throughout her career.<\/span><\/p>\n While a 16-year-old student at PMSS, Ruth worked three days a week as a \u201cpack horse librarian<\/a>.\u201d The Pack Horse Library Project was a Works Project Administration (WPA) program established by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to provide reading material for underprivileged Appalachian children. As a librarian, Ruth would ride a horse to houses scattered about the rocky, mountainous territory of eastern Kentucky, distributing books that were provided by the state library in Harlan, KY. She would often stay awhile at the homes to read to the children and help and encourage them learn to read.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t
\n<\/span><\/strong>Member, PMSS Board of Trustees 1970s-1990s
\n<\/span><\/strong>Member, Committee Member, Vice President, Association of Alumni & Friends 1980s
\nChairperson, Advisory Council 1980s
\n<\/span>Association of Alumni & Friends Representative to the Board of Trustees 1970s-1990s
\nHonorary Trustee 2008-current<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"pm_harm_118\"](\"http:\/\/staging.pinemountainsettlement.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/pm_harm_118-1011x1024.jpg\")
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\nRuth Shuler Dieter: PMSS Student<\/h3>\n