Local reactions
Daniel D. Challener, president of Transforming Public Education “One of the greatest privileges of my life was having Ruth as my board chair at Public Education Foundation. Ruth was a tremendous champion of public education. She led innumerable efforts that strengthened our public schools and provided opportunities to our community’s children, teachers, and principals. She was instrumental in the creation of Public Education Foundation and served on our board from our very first day until today. “In 2004, we created a professional development center on the third floor of the Times Building. We named it the Ruth S. Holmberg Center for Excellence in Leadership and Education, in honor of Ruth’s fierce commitment to public schools and her deeply held belief that every child deserves a great education. Her wisdom, grace, courage, good humor, and commitment to the importance of public education enriched all who knew her and thousands of students, teachers, and principals. —Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke “What an honor it is to have known Ruth Holmberg. If you had the chance to sit and speak with Ruth, in her living room surrounded by the history of her family and evidence of her vast achievements, you walked away from the conversation with both wisdom and truth. “Ruth always attacked a problem head on, offering succinct analysis to better understand the issue and then clear action steps to solve it. And above all, Ruth offered a willingness to help. Always. She put community first – and our arts, our journalism, our public spaces, and our city are the better for it. Simply put, Ruth Holmberg is irreplaceable. — Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger “What she did for the causes she cared about is unparalleled. What she did here will be enjoyed by generations to come. In so many cases, what she did was unseen by the public; she was humble, quiet and kind.” — Former Chattanooga Times editorial page Editor Mike Loftin “Ruth was a woman with a vision for her beloved Chattanooga that manifested itself in so many ways. Her generous support of the arts – the Hunter, the Tivoli renovation, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera – are among her countless other interests that contributed to Chattanooga’s growth into such a marvelous city. Ruth’s stewardship as publisher of The Chattanooga Times reflected a progressive faith in many community-wide issues – especially public education, racial harmony, and good government. Like many other Times people who were privileged to call her “our” publisher, I loved her.” — Harry Austin, also a former editorial page editor at The Chattanooga Times “Ruth’s exceptional philanthropy and civic leadership in helping build our city – so often quietly unseen – is legendary, but it was her deep kindness and caring for friends, employees and the community’s needy that mark her full measure.’ — Bob Bernhardt, music director emeritus and principal pops conductor for the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra “There is no word or phrase or paragraph that would be enough to describe Ruth’s influence and care for our community. She was the quintessential citizen, concerned about the well-being of every person and essential to the quality of life for all of us who live there. For me personally she was my friend and my mentor and my counselor and my adviser, the best audience for my jokes, and more than anybody else is responsible for the incredibly rich and rewarding life I have found in Chattanooga, Tennessee.”
Ruth Holmberg, Chattanooga civic leader and former publisher of The Chattanooga Times, died Wednesday at her home. She was 96.
Holmberg was the granddaughter of Adolph Ochs, the 19th-century patriarch of The Chattanooga Times who rose to world prominence as publisher of The New York Times in the early decades of the 20th century.
Over time, Holmberg was deeply involved in Chattanooga civic life, serving in leadership roles in the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Association, the Hunter Museum of American Art, the Chattanooga Urban League and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She was named Tennessee Woman of the Year in 2003.
“She had a spectacular life,” said her son Michael Golden, retired vice chairman of The New York Times. “On behalf of her children, we are extremely proud of the leadership role that our mother played in Chattanooga in education, civil rights, beautification and the arts.”