In Memory Of Dr. Ruth and Jerry Starratt

I was heartbroken to hear about the passing of both Ruth and Jerry Starratt. 

In the past 21 years, Ruth have gone way past being my program supervisor at Boston University ... she and Jerry became a part of my life. I called her my travel mom as we began attending NAEA conference together, presenting and having fun. I fondly remember riding the waterslides outside the hotel in Miami in 2002 with Jerry. Jerry forever became known as "Waterslide Jerry" after that. 

Ruth was the one who encouraged me to apply for the Fulbright Program in Japan. That experience in 2005 changed the course of my artwork and caused me to look at everything differently. She worked with my student teachers the way she had worked with me and was one of the kindest and most generous people. I kept in touch with her throughout the years, sharing my travels with "travel mom" and "Waterslide Jerry". She would always reply to me as her "travel daughter". 

In 2015, when my husband, Jay and I were married, she pulled out this paper-mache sculpture of a blue cow (related to a funny story about how Jay and I first met) that she made when we started dating. She dusted it off and fixed it up for us as a gift. That sculpture has been waiting in her basement for 13 years before Jay and I got married and she kept it the entire time! 

Ruth and Jerry both happily attended our wedding as an honorary part of the family, but not before Ruth folded paper cranes for everyone that attended my wedding in beautiful Japanese origami papers. Each crane was beautiful, with meticulous details both in the folding and the embellishments with a variety of glass beads sewn into them (See photo above). Everything she did, she did with her entire heart. 

We need to honor her in the way that she honored us and do something wholehearted. I would like to welcome those that knew Ruth to make a paper crane in her honor.  Instead of attaching a name and table number, Please attach a story or a memory of Ruth. 

Much like Sadako and the thousand paper cranes, legend has it that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a gift from the gods. I am sure that she folded thousands of cranes and I surely hope her wishes have been granted. I also know many of her wishes were not for herself, but for all of us... 

In folding cranes in her honor, we can now give back to her. I hope that once we get a good flock of birds that I can install them somewhere at Boston University in her honor.  I look forward to giving Dr. Ruth Starratt the recognition that she deserves. 

Please mail your stories and paper cranes to Cranes For Ruth, P.O. Box # 560036, Medford, MA 02156.