User:Emmamcmahan/Ruth Becker

Ruth Elizabeth Becker was a titanic survivor born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India on October 28th, 1899. After surviving the sinking of the Titanic in a lifeboat separate from her siblings and mother, Ruth Becker attended high school and college in Ohio and taught high school in Kansas. Becker's parents were Allen Oliver Becker (1872-1956) from Michigan and Nellie Elizabeth Baumgardner (1876-1961) from Ohio.In 1990, Ruth Blanchard died and her ashes were scattered over the spot where the Titanic went down.

The Titanic and Becker's Survival Story
The Becker family had been living in India and were traveling back to the United States. Ruth’s father, Reverend Becker, was a missionary in India. The Becker family was returning to the United States from India because her younger brother had fallen ill and a doctor had advised them to seek treatment in the US.Becker family boarder the Titanic in Southampton on April 10, 1912 as second class passengers Before boarding a life boat, Ruth separated from her family in an attempt to find blankets. Ruth was responsible for looking after her siblings during her days on the titanic. After the ship hit the iceberg, the family was awoken at 11:40 pm by their room steward who told them “we’ve had a little accident. They’re going to fix it, and then we’ll be on our way.” but Mrs. Becker realized that the situation was more serious and took the children up to the deck. They all made it on to life boats but Ruth was forced to jump onto a separate boat from her siblings and mother. When boarding the Carpathia, Ruth had to be tied into the sling because she was so cold that she couldn't grip the ropes.

Life After Surviving the Titanic
The Becker family lived in Wooster County, Ohio upon moving to the United States. Ruth Becker attended Wooster College. Ruth’s father was expected to move to the United States a year after the rest of his family, as he was hoping to complete his missionary work in India. Ruth’s brother was cured of his disease in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and their father joined the rest of the family in 1913. Ruth Becker married Daniel Small Blanchard on June 2, 1924 of Illinois. They divorced after 20 years of marriage. For a significant time of Ruth’s life she never spoke about her experience on the ship, and she did not tell her children when they were young. In her later years she finally started going to conventions and giviner interviews. The year she died she took a cruise to Mexico which was the first time that she had been at sea since the Titanic. Ruth’s children didn’t know that she had survived the titanic throughout their childhood.

Family Mental Health Post Trauma
The sinking of the Titanic changed the Becker family forever--Ruth’s mother dealt with mental struggles and refused to attend the funeral of her youngest daughter. The relationship between Ruth and her mother was incredibly strained.

Good Deeds: During and After the Incident

 * After the sinking, gave her blanket to one of the stokers, who had on only a sleeveless shirt, and shorts, for working down in the coal bunkers, and was now shivering in the night air.
 * Becker was a critic of companies and organizations that attempted to salvage artifacts from the ship.

References
 * Encyclopedia Titanica. “Ruth Elizabeth Becker : Titanic Survivor.” Encyclopedia Titanica, 16 Jan. 2016, www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/ruth-elizabeth-becker.html.
 * Cress, Joseph. “A Titanic Survivor Shares Her Story.” The Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2012, cumberlink.com/news/local/a-titanic-survivor-shares-her-story/article_c22b24e8-86a5-11e1-9888-0019bb2963f4.html.
 * “Ruth Elizabeth Becker (1899-1990) - Find A Grave...” Find A Grave, www.findagrave.com/memorial/8124050/ruth-elizabeth-blanchard.
 * Family, All In The. “Ruth Becker.” The Titanic Gazette, 1 Jan. 1970, titanicgazette.blogspot.com/2008/03/ruth-becker.html.
 * “Ruth Elizabeth Blanchard.” geni_family_tree, 27 Nov. 2019, www.geni.com/people/Ruth-Blanchard/6000000015980688806.