People who live along the five-mile stretch of U.S. 601 that may be named in honor of the late Earl Ruth have two questions:
First, will their addresses change? The answer is no. If the DOT approves the designation, the only change will be signs noting that travelers are on the Congressman Earl B. Ruth Memorial Highway.
Second, some want to know who Earl Ruth was. Ruth was widely known and greatly deserves the honor, but his career predates some residents. In answer, hereís an excerpt from an editorial the Post published when Ruth died in 1989:
The communityís indebtedness to Ruth comes from a wide range of activities ó and that ěcommunityî goes far beyond Rowan Countyís borders.
As a young athlete in a Charlotte high school and on the Carolina basketball team, Ruth was known as a skillful player, a fierce competitor and a team leader. His drive to win was not motivated so much by a desire for personal glory as for team victory. That principle stayed with Ruth as he left the basketball court and moved on to the Catawba College coachís office, City Council Chambers and even Congress. …
Perhaps the most telling (story about Ruth) was Elinor Swaimís recollection of a trip to Washington with friends to attend a National Republican Womenís meeting. As the women entered the Hilton Hotel lobby, someone asked Mrs. Swaim how they managed to get their taxi driver to carry in their luggage. ěThatís not our taxi driver,î Mrs. Swaim explained, ěthatís our congressman.î
That was Earl Ruth. Diligent. Hard-working. Not worried about pretenses.
His six years in Congress from 1968 to 1974 were full of hard work and service as part of the Republican team. Sadly, the colorful nature and competitive spirit that were his hallmarks at home did not win him national attention or stature. The same could be said about most congressmen. But Ruth voted the conservative line he believed his constituents wanted and made anyone who visited his office feel at home in the nationís capital.
Some have said that Watergate, not Democrat Bill Hefner, defeated Earl Ruth in the 1974 election. Thatís hard to say. Certainly defeat must have been difficult for someone as competitive as Ruth. …
Service, not ambition, drove him into political life, and through it all he kept his family as a high priority. Between his family and his friends ó including the GOP ó he plugged into a network of support and camaraderie that drew more from him than he ever received.
That was Earl Ruthís way.