Two women with the same name and dedication for our city

There is a saying that “politics makes strange bedfellows,” and at times, quite by accident, some become linked in the minds of people, as the two people we are going to look back at this week.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that our City Council had a unique situation that linked two of its members together — like it or not — in the minds of a number of people.

It all began in 1978, when Ruth Bailey was elected to council, and the next year — when a seat was vacated — a second person named Ruth came along.

For the next 10 years, Ruth Bailey and Ruth Finley were often confused for each other, something neither one appreciated.

People would introduce one by the other’s last name, especially when one was mayor and the other mayor pro tem.

You must agree that having two Ruths on the city council at the same time is unusual, because Ruth is not a common name.

This week, we’ll get to look at the lives of these two Ruths and their contributions to Huntington Beach.

Our first Ruth was born Ruth Sarah Berger on Feb. 22, 1926 in Miami Beach, Fla. Not long after her birth, the family moved to Ohio and New York to live. In 1938, when Ruth was 12, her father died suddenly and her mother brought the family to California to live in Long Beach.

Ruth attended Wilson High School, and in her junior year she would meet her future husband, Sherwood Bailey.

With World War II just beginning and young men being called into service, Ruth and Sherwood decided to get married. But there was one slight problem; she was only 16 years old.

The lovers thought they had found a way around that when they headed for Tijuana, Mexico, to get married. Behind a run-down tire shop, they said their vows. But on returning to California, they found that because they lied about their ages, the marriage was not legal.

A few months later, they legally got married in California and lived in Long Beach.

Sherwood became an engineer, and Ruth worked in customer service at Sears. She was also very busy raising Pam, Suzy and Roneale, their three daughters.

In 1962, the family moved to Huntington Beach, and Ruth continued to work at Sears.

Ruth joined the League of Women Voters of Huntington Beach and shortly thereafter decided to jump into local politics when she ran and won a seat on our City Council in 1978.

During her time on the council, Ruth established the city’s High School Youth Board, co-founded the Youth Shelter, Interval House for battered women, established “A Taste of Huntington Beach” at the library, the Concourse de Elegance, became a big supporter of the Friends of the Library Patrons, the Bolsa Chica wetlands and Bluff Top Park.

Ruth became mayor of Huntington Beach twice, once in 1980 and again in 1984.

In 1987, Ruth lost her beloved Sherwood, but she would continue to be active in the city she loved so much.

Ruth Bailey passed away on Sept. 25, 2006.

While our first Ruth was on the council, a second Ruth joined her.

It was in Ramsey, N.J., on Nov. 30, 1923 that Ruth Finch was born.

After Ruth’s mother died, a strict father would raise her.

Ruth attended Barnard College, where she would receive her degree in English.

In 1951, a 28-year-old Ruth would leave her father and come to California to live.

Ruth would work in the offices of United Productions of America, which produced the cartoon series “Mr. Magoo.”

While playing tennis near her home in North Hollywood, she met a young pharmacist, Gerry Finley, who in 1954 would become her husband.

In 1965, Ruth, Gerry and their children — David, Laura and Elaine — moved to Huntington Beach.

Ruth, like our first Ruth, was active in school functions and the Girl Scouts.

One day, our second Ruth was invited to attend a meeting of the League of Women Voters and would later become active in our city’s politics, too

Ruth was appointed as Planning Commissioner and would hold that post in our city for 4 1/2 years. She was appointed to the City Council in May 1979 to fill a vacancy.

Ruth became mayor of our city on April 20, 1981, following our first Ruth, who had been mayor in 1980.

Getting confused?

Ruth, the second one, would continue as a City Council member until November 1988, but she too would continue to serve our city in many of Huntington Beach’s programs and projects.

Ruth Finley passed away on Jan. 14, 2002.

It was no wonder that people got these two Ruths confused. Both started into a life of politics with the League of Women Voters, both were active in school programs, both were active in the Los Amigos de Bolsa Chica, both Ruths were active in our city library projects, both rode in our Fourth of July parade, both sat on our City Council at the same time and both served as mayors of our city during the turbulent years of redevelopment.

You may be confused as to which Ruth did what, but one thing is certain — Huntington Beach is richer for having these two Ruths as part of its history.