A Long Way from Rough Creek

Ruth Parsons grew up along Rough Creek in an isolated region of the Appalachian Mountains in the 1940s and 1950s. Nestled in rolling green hills, her world was defined by material poverty and rich ties to family and the land. But her opportunities were limited, as if they were hemmed in by the mountains. While recognizing the ways she was shaped by the land, the people, and the language of that place, she always had her eyes set on exploring what was beyond those hills.

For Parsons, education was the way out. Investing herself in her profession of social work provided opportunities for unexpected adventures, from working in inner-city Denver and on a reservation in Arizona to earning a PhD and teaching in three countries. Perhaps the greatest adventure, however, was sailing the Caribbean with her husband, where she ended up falling in love with island life and a new form of music. Throughout, she found the joy of living without fear, exploring the unknown, taking risks, and being open to what’s present and what’s to come next. The author encourages readers to “bite off those daunting challenges and see if you can chew them. If you cannot, get up and try it again.”

About Ruth

Ruth Parsons emerged from a 1950’s sparse farm life in the Appalachian Mountains, to tough social work jobs in inner city ghettos and the Arizona desert during the 60’s and 70’s, and ultimately to a university graduate and international teaching career. But, assessment of her life during an anxious descent down 107 flights of stairs in the burning of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1993 in New York City propelled her to 20 years of adventurous sailing on a small boat in the eastern island chain of the Caribbean. In her first non-academic book, A Long Way from Rough Creek, a memoir, her stories take you from eastern Kentucky farming to performances with steel drum bands in the Trinidad Carnival.

Ruth has lived in the rural Colorado foothills near Golden for 56 years, where she and her husband raised two daughters who are also residents of the Golden area. Ruth obtained a Masters and PhD degree from the University of Denver, where she later taught for 23 years. Her research area and publications centered on development of theory for empowerment of women.

She spent 15 winters in Trinidad and Tobago, where she had a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of the West Indies to develop curriculum in conflict resolution, and fell in love with playing steel drums. She has played in Steel Drum bands in the West Indies, Colorado, and Arizona. She now plays in The Rumrunners steel drum band as well as the all woman’s band, Women of Steel.