Ruth Bluford Anderson

Ruth Bluford Anderson (October 28, 1921 – January 22, 2013 ) was an American social worker and professor at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI).

Biography Roy and Josie Bluford, Oklahoma sharecroppers, had five children and Ruth was the oldest. The family moved from Oklahoma to Sioux City, Iowa when she was seven. Her father went to work at the Cudahy Packing Company. Her parents divorced in 1933. Her mother was unable to provide for the family on her earnings as a part time maid at a hotel and she went on pun Ic assistance.

She married Everett McKinnis in Reno, Nevada on February 19, 1946. They had two sons Dwayne and Keith. The couple divorced in 1959. She married Danny Oliver on September 23, 1961 and divorced in 1964. On June 8, 1968, she married James C. Anderson and became stepmother to five children. Her autobiography, From Mother’s Aid Child to University Professor: the autobiography of am American Black Woman was published in 1985. Simpson College awarded her a Doctor of Humane Letters in 1990. The National Association of Social Workers awarded her a lifetime achievement award in 2012. In 1996, she was inducted into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame.