Vonda Vitali

Friend

Edward Goldman introduced me to Ruth, late into my stay in Los Angeles. All three of us lived in the Ocean Park area in Santa Monica, a walking distance from one another, something rare for Los Angeles. She was then retired and free from daily obligations.

We immediately connected. Our get-togethers started with unusual frequency. At first, we met at my home or went for walks on the beach with Edgard Pisani. These were politically focused conversations. Edgard and Ruth would debate history and the present, Europe, the Near East and the US. Edgard, the former minister of France, and Ruth shared the same passion, the same wisdom, similar concerns. 

I remember when Ruth came to visit us in France, in our little village of Cornillon, in the south of France, near Avignon. Initially, Ruth suggested coming to the village for lunch. But, once there, she stayed the night, then two, then three, then four…and finally returned to Paris with just a stopover in Avignon. She was enchanted by this medieval village and its history. We spent long hours sitting in its castle (which was in ruins), walking the surrounding vineyards and woods, sitting on our terrace in the afternoon sipping a glass of rosé or champagne, deeply engaged in conversations about history, the evolution of Europe and the world. She was not only deeply connected to politics and its philosophy, she was progressive, brave and daring.  

After Edgard’s passing and my return to Los Angeles, we got together weekly for walks, visiting exhibitions, sampling restaurants, exchanging books. She was “au courant” with everything—art, fashion, food, and of course local and international politics. One could not have had a more sophisticated companion.

And of course, she was beautiful and most elegant. She had a French flare, even when her eyes started failing her, she was always impeccably dressed. 

Ruth has touched my soul with her intelligence, worldliness, sophistication and style. She is etched in my mind as one of the most impressive persons I have met. She will stay in me as long as I go on.