Ruth A. Schmidt, 79, of Atlanta and Decatur Ga., died Monday, May 24. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 27, at North Decatur Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Rick Neale will officiate. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. Born in Mountain Lake, Minn., Dr. Schmidt graduated from Augsburg College summa cum laude in 1952 with a B.A. in English and minors in Spanish and library science. She received her M.A. in Spanish in 1955 from the University of Missouri and her Ph.D. in Spanish in 1962 from the University of Illinois. She started her teaching career as a teacher of Spanish and English at Detroit Lakes High School (Minn.) in 1952. She went on to be a professor of Spanish at Mary Baldwin College in 1955. She joined the State University of New York at Albany in 1962 as an assistant professor of Spanish, eventually rising to dean of humanities in 1973. She then served as provost and professor of Spanish at Wheaton College from 1978 to 1982. Dr. Schmidt joined Agnes Scott College in Decatur in 1982 as its first female president, retiring in 1994. After her retirement, she traveled extensively, often working in developing countries, and devoted herself to advocating peace and nonviolence. She is survived by a niece, Lorene Brown, of Minnesota, and her husband, Douglas Brown; a nephew, Dr. Bruce Dahlman, and his wife, Kate Dahlman, in Kenya; a brother-in-law, Willis Dahlman; cousins, Irene Schultz and Arden Smith; grand nieces and nephews, Erik, Ryan, and Kaari Dahlman and Kevin Brown; and her two beloved cats, Manuel and Ana Maria. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), Agnes Scott College’s Schmidt Scholars program, North Decatur Presbyterian Church, Augsburg College’s Women’s Resource Center and Columbia Theological Seminary’s Spirituality Program. A. S. Turner & Sons
