Indeed, she attended her last Board of Trustees meeting in February 1995. Always imbued with humanness and kindly warmth, she brought to the Board of Trustees an awareness that the most significant projects are built about people, that people are not masses but individuals, and that every person is of great worth. I consider myself lucky to have known Ruth more than 37 years and, in my mind, her most important legacy to the Mott Foundation was her awareness that all people, as individuals, are important. This unique ability, I believe, sprang from her genuine interest in people and in their welfare. She took great pride in being a grandma to everyone she came in contact with.
Some people inherit the title of lady, while others are awarded the honor.
Ruth Mott actually lived it. We are dedicating this annual report to Mrs. Mott, and behind this letter you will find a page about her life. Besides loving children and people, Ruth also loved gardens, the environment and the beauty of nature. She dedicated a great part of her life to these issues, and the entire Board of Trustees was pleased to honor her life in a way that will have a lasting impact on the community she loved and called home for 65 years. As an institution, we are grateful for C.S. Mott's financial support, fiscal foresight, and a philosophy that embraced and recognized the importance of community and the inherent worth of the individual.