“It’s hard to believe now, but during their marriage Ruth felt that it was only Jack who was the bright light, the gifted one in the relationship.”

“When we left her house that afternoon, my sister and I decided that Ruth was one of the coolest adults we’d met.”

“She once told me, ‘I don't listen to your show, so I avoid the possibility of getting mad.’" 

“A few people in your life make a big impact. Ruth was one of those people.”

“Ruth was a giant, a fierce provocateur, and a great friend and mentor for many of us.  Especially those of us who were women working and leading in public radio from the 60s and 70s on.”

“She never said another word to Tom or me, much to our relief, and that interview remains highly sought after in reggae collectors’ circles.”

“Ruth was unstoppable and a constant force for new ideas and thought.”

“I loved and admired her enormously, and found her to be a great teacher and inspirer.”

“One could not have had a more sophisticated companion.”

“We had a bit of a code. If the door between her laundry room and the house was open, I knew she wanted to chat.”

“She’s standing in the center of a cage in a circus ring, holding a chair in one hand and a whip in the other, surrounded by lions, all of whom are bowing to her, not so much in fear as out of respect.”

“When David and I took off to drive to San Francisco, she sprang out from the back door, looked at my 1968 VW convertible, and, worried about him, asked— ‘Can THAT car make it to San Francisco?’”

“I know the generosity of Ruth, a generosity of heart and spirit that the little girl from the Bronx kept all her life, and which for me is the deep part of my friend Ruth, American, the friend that I love and have loved without reserve. A worthy person.”

“We were two romantics dancing and laughing alone under the moonlight. Ruth’s childlike ability to feel wonder was contagious.”

“Ruth was a force of nature and I took great joy in watching how much respect - and even fear - she would elicit from people wherever she went.”

“As soon as I heard KCRW, I was in love. I befriended someone who worked there, who advised me to try out for a forthcoming job opening. She explained that the process had a foregone conclusion, but that it would get me ‘in the system.’ Sure enough, I got called within a month to fill in for someone who was on vacation. His vacation kept getting extended, so I became part of the family. “

“As one of the lucky ones, I was flown 3000 miles to be yelled at by Ruth.

I was working on NPR’s ‘HEAT with John Hockenberry.’ As a supporting partner of the show, Ruth was not happy that her guidance was not being properly respected by some prominent members of the New York staff. She was threatening to pull the plug on a week of programming based out of KCRW for the LA Arts Festival that HEAT was planning. I was asked to go to LA and help manage the issue.“

“Ruth Seymour, then a leader in Radio, was a force to be reckoned with. Her strength was undeniable, but what truly defined her leadership was her unwavering belief in empowering on-air talent. Unlike some stations with rigid structures, Ruth fostered an environment where we could produce our shows with a great deal of autonomy. This freedom, this trust, is what gave someone like me, with minimal formal experience, the chance to land a position as a radio announcer and board operator.”