icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook twitter goodreads question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle

Biography

Ruth Mary Haskins Bass
Born July 18, 1934, Wesson Memorial Hospital, Springfield, Mass.
Parents: Ralph Warner Haskins and Hilda Marie Allen Haskins
Residence: Amherst, Mass.
Father: high school principal
Mother: homemaker (formerly high school home economics teacher and dietician)
Attended North Amherst School through third grade; moved to Brockton, Mass., 1942; Westfield, Mass., 1947; Greenfield, Mass., 1952.
Bachelor of arts degree, Bates College, 1955; master of science, Columia University School of Journalism, 1956; honorary doctorate of humane letters, Westfield State College (now Westfield State University), 2009.

Employed as police and court reporter, The Berkshire Eagle, 1956-1961; editor of Berkshire Week magazine, 1963-68; as editor of the Berkshire Sampler, 1977-1987; as associate Sunday editor and Sunday editor, The Berkshire Eagle, 1987-1996; editor of The Paper, Hillsdale, N.Y., c. 1999-2004. Weekly columnist, Berkshire Sampler and Berkshire Eagle, 1983-. Free-lance travel writer. Ten published cookbooks, "Fresh from the Garden" series, Storey Publishing Co., 1996-1998; three novels, "Sarah's Daughter" (2007), "Rose" (2010) and "A Silver Moon for Rose" (2016); self-published family history, "The Allens".

Awards: Numerous awards given by New England Press Association to the Berkshire Sampler while edited by Ruth Bass;
United Press International bet columnist in New England, 1987;
Tennessee Williams award for creative journalism ($500) while at Columbia, 1956;
New England Press Association Hall of Fame admission.
Charles and Mary Kusik Citizenship award, Richmond, Massachusetts
Woman of the Year, Professional and Business Women's Association of Pittsfield

Community

First journalism experience: sixth grade with creation of a school newspaper; staff of Westfield High School Herald;
staff and then editor of The Bates Student. Her poetry and short essays were printed in the WHS literary magazine.

Community: past president, Bates Alumni Association
Past president, Community Health Association of Richmond and West Stockbridge
Richmond selectman, six years; past chair
Richmond board of health, past chair
Richmond Finance Committee, past chair
Anita Chapman Scholarship board of directors, charter member and past chair
Vice president, Richmond Land Trust
Girl Scout leader, juniors, cadettes and seniors, 19 years
Daniel Pearl Scholarship Committee

Personal

Married to Milton Ralph Bass (1923-2014), novelist, newspaper editor, theater critic and columnist (1960).
Three children: Michael Jon, television producer' Elissa Allen, journalist; Dr. Amy Brunell, author, professor of history
Six grandchildren: Sam, Summer, Emily, Max, Jake, Hannah
Free time activities: Travel, gardening, golf, reading, tennis, photography, cooking, knitting and needlework