Ruth West Houghton

Ruth West Houghton
New York City - Ruth West Houghton, 92, of New York City, and formerly of Corning, died tragically on Monday, December 28th, 2020, from injuries sustained in a car crash in Great Barrington, MA where she had a home.
A devoted supporter and advocate of the arts and culture in New York, Ruth was active in leadership roles throughout the country's most impactful non-profit institutions. She was Vice Chair of the Foundation for the Joffrey Ballet as well as an active trustee and trustee emerita of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York Shakespeare Festival, and The Public Theater. She was appointed to the New York State Council of the Arts by Governor Hugh Carey in 1979, also serving as a trustee of the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Alliance of New York State Arts Councils, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the American Arts Alliance, and the National Corporate Fund for Dance, which she co-founded in 1992. She was also appointed to a Presidential Task Force on the Arts and Humanities in 1982.
But it was in Corning that her passion for bringing the arts to her community began to take shape. She was instrumental in the creation of the Corning Philharmonic Society, the multi-arts center at 171 Cedar, and the "Soundings" summer music festivals that took over Market Street in Corning in the 1970's. She also co-founded the Chemung County Arts Council and served as Vice Chair of the New York State Center for the Arts at Ithaca. With Norman and Melanie Mintz, she created the Ice Cream Works at 1 West Market Street, now the Old World Café and Ice Cream.
Ruth Frances West was born in New York City on December 1st, 1928. She attended schools in New York and received an AA from Bradford Junior College. She married Amory Houghton, Jr. in June 1950. They moved to Fourth Street in 1952, later moving one block down the hill where they raised their four children, and Amo ultimately became Corning CEO and a U.S. Congressman, representing the Southern Tier. He passed away on March 4th, 2020. The couple divorced in 1988.
She was a long serving trustee of the Fresh Air Fund and Chairman of its Friendly Town Committee, which provided summer opportunities for children from inner city New York. Many families in the Corning area welcomed children from this program.
She served on the boards of the New York State Mental Health Association, the American Cancer Society, and the Cancer Research Institute, was a trustee of Alfred University, the College Center of the Finger Lakes, and co-founded the Volunteer Clearing House in Corning in 1979.
Following her divorce, Ruth moved to New York City, later purchasing a home in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts and immediately joined its vibrant arts community with Board service at Tanglewood and the Berkshire Choral Society. An enthusiastic member of the Stockbridge Golf Club, she is remembered as a passionate gardener, an inveterate reader of mystery novels, an adoring grandmother and a steadfast, loyal friend.
She is survived by a sister, Maude, of Concord, MA; her children: Amory III of South Salem, NY; Robert of Acton, MA; Sarah of Fairfield, CT; and Quincy of New York City; 9 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
Messages may be sent to 9 Hillcrest Court, South Salem, NY 10590. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her name can be made to The Fresh Air Fund, 633 Third Avenue, 14th Fl., New York, NY 10017.