Ruth Alice9 (Junkins) Hodgin, (Walter Hilton8, David Edwin7, David6, David5, James4, Joseph3, Alexander2, Robert1) was born October 21, 1924 in Portsmouth, NH, daughter of Ruth Agnes (Yeaton) and Walter Hilton Junkins.
In her early years, she lived in Endfield, MA, where her father was bacteriologist for the Boston Metropolitan Water Supply on the Quabin Reservoir Project and her mother taught physics at Mt. Holyoke College. Due to her brother's illness, the family began wintering in Coral Gables, FL, with summers at Wallis Sands, Rye, NH. In Coral Gables, her parents bought two gift shops, one at Flager and the Boulevard and one in a small Seminole Indian reservation on a canal. Tourists came both by boat and care or bus to tour the reservation. Ruth and her older brother, David Edwin, both graduated from Ponce de Leon High School in Coral Gables.
Ruth then attended Portsmouth Business Schoool. After business schoool, she went to work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, working first in the Supply Department, the Accounting Department and then the Public Works Department.
On September 15, 1949, Ruther married Thomas W. Hodgin at Rye, NH. They lived in York Beach, at Long Sands Beach and owned and managed an inn called the Hodge Inn, a play on their name but no one ever knew it and thought that "Hodge" was their name. They also ran Pappy's Diner, which was right next to the inn. Tom's parents owned the diner and Tom and Ruth ran it from 1952 to 1959. Pappy's was a small "ten stool" diner. Ruth and Tom were both the cooks and bottle washers and all the while running the inn next door. During the summer, they employed three people to help. Tom also held down a fulltime job at the Naval Yard.
While raising a family of two daughters, Ruth Lynn and Lee Ann, Ruth taught Preschool Sunday School at Union Congregational Church and served as Secretary to the York Chamber of Commerce. She held various positions in the York Beach Elementary School PTA, culminating as president. While president, she was instrumental in instituting the trial period of Open Concept Elementary Education at the York Village Elementary School. She received an honorary membership in the National Association of Parents and Teachers and was appointed to the York School Needs Study Committee.
Ruth has served on the York Meals and Wheels program from its concept, and on the York Housing Authority from the time they started developing Yorkshire Commons (York's low income, elderly housing project), until it was in operation. She also served as office manager of the Trinity Corporation, a manufacturer of fire safety training kits. She was appointed to the York Beach Planning Board as a member and Secretary to the Board from the 1970s until York Beach consolidated with the Town of York. She still maintains an active interest in local politics. She keeps a hand in, and follows, the stock market very closely and is interested in financial management, which she practices on the family accounts. Her husband, Tom, says she is very good at it.
Ruth enjoys square dancing, and along with her husband, helped to organize the Nubble Lighthouse Keeper Square Dance Club in 1972, and served as Round Dance coordinator from 1978 through 1994, and was president of the club from 1984 through 1987 and 1989 through 1991. She is an active bridge player and plays every week. Ruth served as Secretary of JFA from 1990 to 2004.
