Ruth BELL

BELL (COOPER ROLPH), Ruth Marion
C.M., B.A., M.A., LL.D. DSL, (Hon. Causa)
On December 16, 2015, long-time resident of Nepean and Ottawa, passed away peacefully at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Bell was the daughter of the late Roy Lawrence and Olive Pearl (O'Mulvenny) Cooper. She was predeceased by her beloved husbands, William Kirby Rolph, Ph.D., (deceased 1953) and the Hon. Richard Albert Bell, P.C., Q.C., LSM, B.A., LL.B., LL.D. (Hon. Causa) (deceased 1988), and her stepdaughter, Madam Justice Judith Miriam Bell, LL.B., (deceased 2000). Her close friend Susan, friends and colleagues will miss her wit, determination and generous nature.
As a determined scholar and a devoted wife to a gifted and well-respected historian, Prof. William Rolph, Dr. Bell's quest for a university education coincided with Bill's teaching appointments around the world. She earned credits at seven universities on two continents, culminating in her B.A. in political economy from the University of Toronto's Trinity College in 1955. An M.A. in Political Science at Carleton University followed in 1965. As a political scientist, educator, and volunteer, Dr. Bell devoted her life to changing attitudes and behaviours towards women, protecting the rights of children, and creating more opportunities for lifelong education for men and women. International Women's Year in 1975 provided Dr. Bell and the Canadian Federation of University Women with a platform to advance family property law reform, open up boardrooms to women, and end gender stereotyping in educational institutions. Her work continued, on an international basis as founding member and first Chair of UNESCO's Sub-Commission on the Status of Women, and as a member of a series of International Federation of University Women's committees. As an advocate of the power of the volunteer, Dr. Bell served more than 50 organizations in a variety of capacities from founding member, member and president to lifetime member. Some of the organizations included Match International, the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, the Forum for Young Canadians, the Canadian Commission for International Year of the Child, the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case, the YM-YWCA, the National and Ottawa Council of Women, the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council among others. Her interest in education expanded beyond her service as the University of Waterloo's Dean of Renison College and political science lecturer at Waterloo, Carleton University, St. Patrick's College and Algonquin College. She was the longest serving director of TVOntario, and a director of the Canadian Adult Education Association. CFUW Ottawa's new Centennial Scholarship was the prime beneficiary of Dr. Bell's biography, "Be a Nice Girl…A Woman's Journey in the 20th Century" – a story of how she decided to change the way of thinking toward women when she received an ill-advised and symbolic pat on the head. More recently, she chaired the YM-YWCA's Fundraising Committee. Dr. Bell, an ardent supporter of literacy worked tirelessly on behalf of regional and local library boards including the Ontario Library Trustees Association, the Eastern Ontario Trustees Association and the Nepean Public Library. Her belief in the preservation of archives led to the creation of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada's Macdonald-Cartier Library. Her passion for history, a love also shared by her husband Richard, saw the formation of the Nepean Museum, and the donation of their beloved "Fairfields" - a 19th century farmhouse on Richmond Road - to the City of Nepean, now the City of Ottawa for public enjoyment. As a patron of the arts, Dr. Bell's fondness for the National Gallery and National Arts Centre was well known. As an ailurophile, she enjoyed her feline friends, Spinnenkopf, Sandhurst, Fred and Cassie, and Tyson and Misha.
Dr. Bell's life was based on her belief that volunteerism contributed to the economy and the quality of society and public life. Her work was recognized when she received the Order of Canada (1981), the City of Nepean's Distinguished Citizen Award (1982), together with her husband, Richard, their Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa from Carleton University (1984), the City of Nepean's Millennium Medal (2000), Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case (2005), the YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction Awards: Scotiabank Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), and Carleton' University's highest non-academic award, the Founders Award (2008).
Special thanks to Ruth's team of caregivers who took wonderful care of her. Friends are invited to visit at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, 315 McLeod Street (at O'Connor), Ottawa on Monday, December 21 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. A service of thanksgiving for the life of Ruth Marion Cooper Rolph Bell will be held at Christ Church Cathedral, Sparks & Bronson, Ottawa on Tuesday, December 22 at 11 a.m. with reception to follow in the church hall. Interment Pinecrest Cemetery. Should you wish to make a donation in memory of Dr. Bell, please consider supporting the Dick & Ruth Bell Chair for the Study of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy at Carleton University or the Rolph-Bell Archives Chair at Trinity College, University of Toronto.
Condolences/Tributes/Donations
Hulse, Playfair & McGarry
www.hpmcgarry.ca
613-233-1143