President Myles Brand has described Ruth Norman Halls as Indiana University’s "greatest benefactor." She was an exceptional woman dedicated to education-both her own and that of others. Ruth Norman was born in Barlettville, Indiana, in 1898, where she spent her childhood on her grandfather’s dairy farm, milking cows, churning butter, and hauling wood and water. At the age of 13, Norman left home to attend high school in the nearby town of Bedford, which at that time had no efficient means to transport students as close as 10 miles away. She continued her education at Indiana University, majoring in the classics. Norman particularly enjoyed the lectures of visiting scholars, which were then held in Wylie, Maxwell, and Kirkwood Halls. Norman’s interest in theatre was first expressed in her participation in the Garrick Club’s production of Goldoni’s The Mistress of the Inn, in which her performance, as described by the IDS reviewer, "carried the audience along with delight."
About Ruth N. Halls
The College of Arts