Ruth Munce
Encyclopedia
Ruth H. Munce was an American
romance novelist, mission teacher and founder of Keswick Christian School
in St. Petersburg, Florida
.
, Ruth Glover Hill was the second daughter of Presbyterian minister, Thomas Franklin Hill, who died when she was two. As a widow, her mother, Grace Livingston Hill
, author of over 100 Christian-themed romance novels, provided a comfortable lifestyle for Munce and her siblings in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
. Munce's mother was not the only writer in her family line. Her great-aunt, Isabella Alden
, was also a well-known author, writing a series called "The Pansy Books" from the mid-to-late 19th century.
. In subsequent years, she gave birth to two sons, James and Robert. Her husband, Gordon, died in the late-1940s. Her mother, Grace Livingston Hill, also died in 1947, in the midst of writing the novel, Mary Arden. Lippincott Publishers
asked Munce to finish her mother's book, and she took on that challenge. Writing under the pen-name, Ruth Livingston Hill, Munce attempted to continue in her mother's style of writing. She says that J.B. Lippincott could not tell the difference between what content was hers and what was her mother's, and Munce refused to show him any of the written variations. Completion of her mother's novel lead to her own career as an author, writing six more Christian romances. She also wrote a book of Bible studies and a textbook on the book of Genesis, published in the mid-1980s.
with her two sons. She performed a three month stint at St. Petersburg High School
, teaching Bible history until the School Board decided to do away with this subject because it would open the way for more "subversive groups." At a crossroads in her career, Munce chose to finish her college education that she had begun at Wheaton College
but was interrupted by World War I
. She earned a teacher's certificate.
, Munce, with the help of friends, started a Christian school in Fall 1952 in a temporary location at the "Baptist Church on 22nd Avenue South." About 30 to 40 elementary students attended, perpetuating her passion to open a permanent school, which she did with her own financial backing in 1953 in unincorporated Pinellas County, naming it Grace Livingston Hill Memorial School, in honor of her mother..
Munce remained principal of the school she founded for at least ten years, teaching Bible and English classes in her tenure. In 1961, she turned the school over to Bill Caldwell, who was operating Keswick radio stations, WKES-FM and WGNB-AM, and the Southern Keswick Bible Conference on the same site as the school. Reflecting the new ownership, the school was renamed Keswick Christian School
in 1962.
, where she lived for approximately five years. Munce was said to have beamed at seeing the students, a testament to her diligence 50 years after the school's founding.
Munce died May 23, 2001, at Mariner Health of Belleair, Florida
, where she had been a resident for a week.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
romance novelist, mission teacher and founder of Keswick Christian School
Keswick Christian School
Founded originally as Grace Livingston Hill Memorial School in 1953, Keswick Christian School is a private, Pre-K-12, Christian school with an interdenominational student body, mostly of Protestant...
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
.
Early life, family history
Born in Germantown, PennsylvaniaGermantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
, Ruth Glover Hill was the second daughter of Presbyterian minister, Thomas Franklin Hill, who died when she was two. As a widow, her mother, Grace Livingston Hill
Grace Livingston Hill
Grace Livingston Hill was born in Wellsville, New York on April 16, 1865 to Presbyterian minister Charles Montgomery Livingston and his wife, Marcia Macdonald Livingston. Both of her parents were writers, as was Hill's aunt Isabella Macdonald Alden. Hill was an early 20th century novelist and...
, author of over 100 Christian-themed romance novels, provided a comfortable lifestyle for Munce and her siblings in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Swarthmore is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Swarthmore was originally named Westdale in honor of noted painter Benjamin West, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to Swarthmore after the establishment of Swarthmore College...
. Munce's mother was not the only writer in her family line. Her great-aunt, Isabella Alden
Isabella Macdonald Alden
Isabella Macdonald Alden was an American author, writing under the pseudonym of "Pansy".Alden was born in Rochester, New York to well-educated parents. She was the sixth of seven children, and was initially home-schooled by her father, who also gave her her nickname...
, was also a well-known author, writing a series called "The Pansy Books" from the mid-to-late 19th century.
Family deaths birth literary life
Around 1925, she married Gordon Munce, who was an oil executive for GulfGulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...
. In subsequent years, she gave birth to two sons, James and Robert. Her husband, Gordon, died in the late-1940s. Her mother, Grace Livingston Hill, also died in 1947, in the midst of writing the novel, Mary Arden. Lippincott Publishers
J. B. Lippincott Company
J. B. Lippincott & Co. was an American publishing house founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1836 by Joshua Ballinger Lippincott.Formed by descendants of the Religious Society of Friends, Joshua Lippincott's company began selling a line of Bibles, prayer books and other religious works before...
asked Munce to finish her mother's book, and she took on that challenge. Writing under the pen-name, Ruth Livingston Hill, Munce attempted to continue in her mother's style of writing. She says that J.B. Lippincott could not tell the difference between what content was hers and what was her mother's, and Munce refused to show him any of the written variations. Completion of her mother's novel lead to her own career as an author, writing six more Christian romances. She also wrote a book of Bible studies and a textbook on the book of Genesis, published in the mid-1980s.
The move south
Following her mother and husband's deaths, Munce moved to Tampa BayTampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
with her two sons. She performed a three month stint at St. Petersburg High School
St. Petersburg High School
St. Petersburg High School, founded in 1898, is a secondary school located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school's current building, a historic landmark, was built in 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The school was billed as the nation's first million dollar...
, teaching Bible history until the School Board decided to do away with this subject because it would open the way for more "subversive groups." At a crossroads in her career, Munce chose to finish her college education that she had begun at Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
but was interrupted by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She earned a teacher's certificate.
School founder
Attempting to fill a void in Christian education--something for which she wished for her own children--in Pinellas CountyPinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
, Munce, with the help of friends, started a Christian school in Fall 1952 in a temporary location at the "Baptist Church on 22nd Avenue South." About 30 to 40 elementary students attended, perpetuating her passion to open a permanent school, which she did with her own financial backing in 1953 in unincorporated Pinellas County, naming it Grace Livingston Hill Memorial School, in honor of her mother..
Munce remained principal of the school she founded for at least ten years, teaching Bible and English classes in her tenure. In 1961, she turned the school over to Bill Caldwell, who was operating Keswick radio stations, WKES-FM and WGNB-AM, and the Southern Keswick Bible Conference on the same site as the school. Reflecting the new ownership, the school was renamed Keswick Christian School
Keswick Christian School
Founded originally as Grace Livingston Hill Memorial School in 1953, Keswick Christian School is a private, Pre-K-12, Christian school with an interdenominational student body, mostly of Protestant...
in 1962.
Missionary
In 1968, at age 70, Munce undertook an eight-year stint teaching at Nairobi Bible Institute in Kenya. Her book, What Happened?: A Study in Genesis (A Textbook for Christian Schools or Home Bible Study Groups) is based on her teachings while in Kenya. Returning home to Pinellas County in the mid-1970s, Munce made her missions local, leading up to 14 interdenominational Bible studies a week, a routine she continued well into her nineties, with participants admiring the "breadth of her knowledge".End of life
For her 102nd and 103rd birthdays, Munce celebrated with Keswick students at her place of residence at Pinecrest Place in LargoLargo, Florida
Largo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, USA and is part of the Tampa Bay Area. Centrally located, it is the crossroads of the county. As of the 2000 census, the City had a total population of 69,371. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was...
, where she lived for approximately five years. Munce was said to have beamed at seeing the students, a testament to her diligence 50 years after the school's founding.
Munce died May 23, 2001, at Mariner Health of Belleair, Florida
Belleair, Florida
Belleair is a town in Pinellas County, Florida, United States.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of . of it is land and of it is water.-Form of Government:...
, where she had been a resident for a week.