A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring the life and memory of ruth moss easterling, former member of the general assembly.
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was born in Gaffney, South Carolina, on December 26, 1910, to Benjamin Harrison Moss and Lillie Mae Crawley Moss; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling graduated from Centralized High School in Blacksburg, South Carolina in 1929, received a bachelors degree in English from Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina, in 1932, and later took additional courses at Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was married to Claude Easterling; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling served as the Executive Assistant to I.D. Blumenthal, President of the Radiator Specialty Company in Charlotte from 1947 to 1978 and continued to work part‑time for the company until her death; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was one of the first women to pass the Certified Professional Secretary exam in 1953 and served as President of the Charlotte, State, and National chapters of Business and Professional Women; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling served as director of Wildacres Retreat between 1964 and 1974 and later served as a trustee for the organization; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was a proud and steadfast Democrat all her life, faithfully and effectively serving her party in many capacities; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Charlotte City Council in 1972 and served in that position until 1973; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling served as President of the North Carolina Women's Political Caucus in 1974; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1976, serving with honor and distinction for 13 terms between 1977 and 2002; and
Whereas, during her tenure in the General Assembly, Ruth M. Easterling was an advocate for women, children, health care, and education; she sponsored legislation recommended by the Child Fatality Task Force and vigorously defended Smart Start initiatives and funding; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was one of the first female legislators to serve as cochair of the Appropriations Committee and was an effective member of several committees including Human Resources, Judiciary I, Children and Youth, and Local and Regional Government, Pensions and Retirement, Public Health, and State Personnel; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling also contributed as a member of the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, the Legislative Services Commission, and the Human Resources Committees of the Southern Legislative Conference; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling served four years as the Chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus and as the Chair of the Mecklenburg County Delegation; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was named the sixth most influential legislator by the North Carolina Center for Public Policy and Research during her last term in office, the highest ranking ever for a female legislator; and
Whereas, during her lifetime, Ruth M. Easterling received numerous honors and awards and most recently received the Distinguished Women in Government Award by the North Carolina Council for Women in 1993, the Legislative Award by the Covenant with North Carolina's Children in 1999, which was renamed the Ruth Easterling House Award, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor James B. Hunt in 1999, the Women of Achievement Award by the General Federation of Women's Club in 2002, the "Hero" Award by the North Carolina Children's Fatality Task Force, the Distinguished Service to Education by the North Carolina Association of Educators in 2002, and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the North Carolina Council of the Girl Scouts of America in 2005; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Public Service from Limestone College in 1999, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2001; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling was active in many professional and civic organizations, including the Women's Equity Action League, Women Executives of Charlotte, Women's Forum of North Carolina, League of Women Voters, and American Association of University Women; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling joined the First Baptist Church in Charlotte in 1947, where she served as a Sunday school teacher, associate superintendent of the Intermediate Sunday School Department, chair of the Evening Division of women's Missionary Society and on the Library and Finance Committees; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling died on November 1, 2006, at the age of 95; and
Whereas, Ruth M. Easterling is survived by a sister, Ruby Francina Moss, along with many nieces and nephews and other relatives; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
SECTION 1.  The General Assembly honors the memory of Ruth M. Easterling and expresses its appreciation for her contributions to the State of North Carolina.
SECTION 2.  The General Assembly expresses its deepest sympathy to the family of Ruth M. Easterling for the loss of its distinguished family member.
SECTION 3.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the family of Ruth M. Easterling.
SECTION 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.