She remains interested in genealogy, though as an African American woman knows it has been difficult to trace family. Her mother’s mother was the product of a property owner and to this day all the colorations of the human family face can be found in her own immediate family. Her mother never yelled and was a stay-at-home mom, and she remembers her daddy in a shirt and tie and working all the time. He was a graduate of Cornell and studied Chemistry and Biology and worked at Tuskegee. Her paternal grandmother was a believer in education and was determined that her son graduate from college. Ruth is proud of her African American heritage and has been the grateful recipient of respected family traditions that have been passed to family through the generations. She was sent to Cathedral Catholic girls High School by her mother and attended college for nursing at the New Rochelle campus of Hunter College. She made the switch to education after three years and graduated in 1955. She was recruited by North Babylon High School for her first teaching position where she earned $5,000, taught for three years and learned just how much she enjoyed it. However, when she was told she’d have to sign a contract saying she agreed not to have any more children – it was the end of her career. Her husband was Irwin (Mac) McCalla. It was in the early sixties that their home became 100 Columbus Ave., Central Islip. It was where they had lived for thirty eight years at the time of the interview. Mac left Grumman as a Vice 3 President after thirty years as an engineer in a field to which he’d been devoted for 41 years. He and Ruth were opposites in some ways. He’d been brought up as an only child, and was different in that he was quiet and something of a perfectionist. His father’s side of the family included Indians from Guatemala.        
      She described herself as being a good kid when she was in school and was always close to her mother who graduated from Morgan had a beautiful voice and loved singing in Church. She was also into theatre. Ruth’s mom was chosen National Catholic mother of the year in 1952,
      Once when she was given permission to choose the colors of her room, Ruth chose fuchsia and painted her furniture black. Like many other kids she had chores. One of her first paying jobs was as a sales clerk at B. Altman’s down town. She had an interest in sports like handball and played all the street games that today’s generation has likely never even heard of; red rover, hide and seek, tag, etc.
      She said her mother and father’s friends had a significant influence on her growing up. Many were influential doctors and lawyers. Both her parents were Roman Catholic. Her father who was quite active, was close friends with Fr. John La Farge, a famous Jesuit and painter whose brother worked with Tiffany. The two collaborated to cofound the New York Chapter of The National Conference of Christians and Jews. Fr. LaFarge was a frequent guest of her father at Sunday family dinners and spoke with the kids as if a friend. Her father had received awards from the Pope and Cardinals, and was involved with the Bronx Grand Jury and the Harlem Branch of the YMCA for more than 30 years. Her parents and their friends were avid bridge players, a game Ruth enjoys today.      It was safe in those days for kids to travel all over the city by means of public transportation which she did regularly. She liked the Fall and Spring seasons best, although she had great memories of winter; building forts in 4 the snow and taking amazing sleigh rides. She always enjoyed being tall and never let it take away from enjoying her life. Once when she got lost while attending PS 78 and couldn’t find her way back to the Kindergarten class she was sent to 3rd Grade because of her height. She was chosen to be Captain of the Crossing Guards probably because of her size and that was a very big deal.
    She started her Graduate Studies in 1960 at CW Post. She was living In Central Islip at that time and by the very end of her course work it became convenient to attend classes at St Joseph’s and the Greenvale campus. Coming from a nursing background, science had always been her preference. History was not her favorite. She applied for and got a job substitute teaching for Physical Education in Brentwood and after three years applied for State Certification. Herb Fishman, Principal at Pine Park interviewed her. She taught 2nd Grade for a couple of years until she was bumped up to 4th Grade for several more. It was then that the district began to lay off teachers each year. Every June, the question would be ‘What letter did you get, the white one, the pink one, the green one or the “doom” letter? Since she had Phys. Ed Certification she was always the first to be called back. She had to take twelve credits over the summer to teach ESL. She found she loved it. She taught from Kindergarten to sixth grade, two sessions, morning and afternoon. Brentwood in those years did not have a Kindergarten curriculum. When asked what her purpose was she said it was to touch one or two children every year and make a difference in their lives. Without a shadow of a doubt that is exactly what Ruth did. It was very difficult to teach ESL according to Ruth, because there were always such high expectations- surrounding it.
   

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