Bell, Ruth Marion, 1919-2015 : Ruth Marion Bell (née Cooper), political scientist and community activist, was born in Detroit, Michigan. The career of her first husband, the late Professor W.K. Rolph, led her to study at several American and Australian universities, then at the University of Toronto, and Carleton University. Bell worked in research and publicity for the Progressive Conservative party, 1956-1967, as an economist for the Bank of Montreal, 1958-1962, and as a lecturer in political science at the University of Waterloo, Carleton University, and other institutions, 1962-1969. Ruth Bell was active in the Canadian Federation of University Women, the Committee on International Relations, the University Women's Club of Ottawa, the International Federation of University Women, and the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.
In 1976, she helped to establish MATCH International Centre, which seeks to unite women in Canada and the Third World and to integrate women into programmes for Third World development; she subsequently served as a director. Bell participated in the formation of the Committee on the Status of Women of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO during 1974-1975, and served as a member-at-large of the Commission since 1977. She was also active in the National Council of YMCA's, and the Ottawa YM/YWCA. She was a founder of the Forum for Young Canadians, and acted as director and trustee.
She served on the boards of directors of the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, and of the Canadian Association for Adult Education. Bell was also involved with the Nepean Public Library Board, the Eastern Ontario Regional Library System and the National Voluntary Organizations. She was an active member of the Progressive Conservative party since the 1950s. Her second husband, Richard A. Bell, was MP for Carleton during 1957-1963 and 1965-1968, and served in the Diefenbaker cabinet.
Her work was recognized when she recieved the Order of Canada (1981), the City of Neapean's Distinguished Citizen Award (1982), together with her husband, Richard, their Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa from Carleton University (1984), the City of Nepean's Millennium Medal (2000), Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case (2005), the YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction Awards: Scotiabank Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), and Carleton University's Founders Award (2008).
