Dec. 25, 1943 — Dec. 4, 2024

Ruth Bell Alexander, a pioneering women’s health advocate, writer, and community leader, died Dec. 4 in Ashland, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 80.

Her death occurred on the 60th anniversary of her arrest during the historic Free Speech Movement protests at the University of California, Berkeley, a milestone she had counted among her proudest accomplishments.

Born Ruth Caryn Davidson on Dec. 25, 1943, in North Carolina, she was the daughter of Sam Davidson, a U.S. Army dentist, and Irene Karis Davidson, a teacher and voice instruction specialist. Her father’s military service ended after VJ Day, and the family settled in Staten Island, N.Y., during Ruth’s grade school years. At age 12, she moved with her parents and siblings to Los Angeles, where she would meet David Alexander, a classmate who would become her second husband and soul mate decades later.

Activist at Berkeley

Ruth attended the UC Berkeley, during the tumultuous 1960s, graduating in 1965. At Berkeley, she became an early member of the student-led Free Speech Movement, which carried out the first mass act of civil disobedience on an American college campus, providing inspiration for the wider anti-Vietnam war movement soon to sweep the country. She was among hundreds of protesters arrested on the steps of Sproul Hall on Dec. 4, 1964.

After earning her undergraduate degree from Berkeley in 1965, Ruth married her first husband, Donald Bell, and the couple moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to pursue graduate studies at Harvard University. She earned a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Boston Women’s Health Book Collective

While pregnant with her first child, Zachary, in 1969, Ruth joined a group of women in Cambridge determined to address the lack of accessible, reliable information on women’s health. Together, they founded the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, which published “Our Bodies, Ourselves” in 1971. The groundbreaking text became a cornerstone of the women’s health movement, empowering generations of readers to advocate for their own care. Ruth remained involved with the collective for decades, contributing to numerous editions of the book.

Ruth and Donald Bell divorced in the mid-1970s. Around that time, she reconnected with David Alexander, a professional photographer and her former classmate from Los Angeles. The two quickly rekindled their friendship, which soon deepened into a partnership. In the summer of 1977, they embarked on a cross-country road trip in Ruth’s white VW camper van — a journey her family would later describe as storied and emblematic of her adventurous spirit. By September, Ruth and Zack had joined David in Los Angeles, where, along with their dog, Jake, they became a family.

Ruth and David married in 1980, and two years later welcomed their daughter, Sarah Poppy Alexander.

In 1981, inspired by Zack’s adolescence, Ruth co-wrote “Changing Bodies, Changing Lives,” an innovative and approachable guide for teenagers navigating the physical and emotional challenges of puberty. She updated the book in 1998 when her daughter, Poppy, reached her teenage years. Ruth also coauthored “Talking With Your Teenager” and “Ourselves and Our Children,” offering practical guidance for parents while staying true to her mission of accessible health education for all.

Finding community in Ashland

Despite her accomplishments, Ruth never felt fully at home in Los Angeles. She longed for a smaller, close-knit community where she could develop deep friendships and feel a stronger sense of belonging. In 1988, Ruth and David relocated with their family to Ashland a move she often described as one of the best decisions of her life. There, she found the close-knit community she had dreamed of and immersed herself in its warmth.

Ruth became a vital presence in Ashland from the beginning. She was a frequent volunteer in the schools, helping kids of all ages learn math, writing and other subjects. She helped various local election campaigns she believed in. In 2005, Ruth herself was elected to the Ashland School Board, where she served two terms as a vocal advocate for equitable education and student engagement. She organized the whole town into a one-week television hiatus called “No TV Week” in the early 1990s. Her love of math education led her to invent a set of math games aimed at simplifying arithmetic and fractions. After a first self-published edition (which she drew herself in an early MS Paint program!), she published “Number Jugglers” (1998) and “Fraction Jugglers” (2001).

Loved her friends and her canines

Ruth loved her friends more than anything, and was more often than not on the phone with one of them or cooking dinner for many of them. Her annual Christmas birthday dinner parties were a highlight of the year. She was often surrounded by the pack of rescue dogs she adopted throughout the years, and she loved the Ashland woods and fields, where she would take daily long walks. An avid reader, she maintained the same book club from the 80s until she was no longer able to attend.

In her final years, Ruth faced the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, which gradually diminished her memory and cognitive abilities. Yet, even as the disease progressed, her deep love for family and friends remained strong. Ruth’s peaceful nature expressed itself in the weeks leading up to her passing. Though still hindered by her condition, to those around her she displayed signs of her love, appreciation, and her joy for life, right up to the end. 

Her death, though sad, exemplifies the beauty and dignity that can come at the end of a life well lived.

Ruth is survived by her husband of 44 years, David Alexander; her children, Zack Bell and Poppy Alexander; her children-in-law, Tanya Bell and Ben Schrom; and her five grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings, Jon Davidson and Harriet Mandell, as well as a wide circle of friends whom she considered family.

Her family extends their gratitude to the staff at the Village at Valley View and Providence Hospice for the care and comfort they provided in her final years. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to a women’s health organization, such as OBOS Today, in Ruth’s memory. A celebration of her life will take place in the spring, with details to be shared with friends and family.

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