'Eugene owes much to Ruth Bascom'
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - The first female mayor of Eugene has died.
Ruth Bascom died at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, where she was transferred after being treated in Bend for injuries sustained in a car crash Aug. 11 on a remote Oregon road. She was 84.
Bascom was the first woman mayor of Eugene and served as mayor from 1993 to 1996. Prior to her election to mayor, she served as a City Councilor for 8 years. >>> Photo Gallery of scenes from Ruth Bascom's time as mayor
During her time in office, she is credited with helping grow Eugene's reputation as a great city for the arts and outdoors.
She also presided over the re-opening of Willamette Street to traffic through the former pedestrian mall.
The Riverbank Path System along the Willamette River in Eugene is named in her honor.
From the archives: Hult Center event in January 1997 honoring Mayor Bascom
The City of Eugene offered this remembrance:
The City of Eugene was notified today of the passing of Eugene's first woman mayor, Ruth Bascom. Mayor Kitty Piercy offered some comments to express her thoughts and feelings.
"Ruth Bascom was a truly remarkable human being and a major influence in creation of some of our city's defining characteristics. We will miss her deeply. Our hearts go out in sympathy to her husband, her family and her many dear friends. Ruth's pioneering spirit was an inspiration to me personally and I am grateful to her for her leadership on so many of Eugene's important issues - the development of our nationally recognized bikeways and parks, the rejuvenation of downtown, and the initial effort to replace the Eugene Public Library building. She was also an early advocate for improving Eugene's rail services, an issue that is so important again right now. Ruth truly loved Eugene and showed that love in so many ways. Eugene owes much to Ruth Bascom. We are saddened at her loss and grateful that she made Eugene her home."
Ruth Bascom was Eugene mayor from 1993 to 1997, but her leadership in the community began well before that. She and her husband, retired surgeon Dr. John Bascom, moved to Eugene in 1960, after growing up in Kansas, and living for stretches in Chicago, New York and Minnesota. She said she fell in love with Eugene, in part because it was a place where, "I knew I could bike around all year long." She was appointed to the new Eugene Bicycle Committee in 1971 and helped develop the Eugene Bikeway Master Plan. Most of the 12-mile Willamette path was completed by 1980, although the last link near Valley River Bridge was built more than 20 years later.
During two terms as a city councilor and then as Eugene's mayor, Ruth patiently yet relentlessly pursued the dream of a paved trail along both banks of the river. Finally, the bicycle loop along the Willamette was completed in 2003 and dedicated as "The Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System."
As a member of the Alton Baker Park Committee in the early 1970s, Ruth helped develop a master plan for the park that included a tree garden. Some thirty years later, she initiated the Hayes Memorial Tree Garden, named for her mother, Doris Hayes Fenton, which features trees with brilliant spring blossoms and fall foliage, providing places for contemplation, and enjoyment of its natural beauty.
Mayor Bascom was also proud to have ceremoniously taken a bulldozer to the concrete fountain at Broadway and Willamette, ultimately leading to the removal of the downtown mall and the reopening of both streets.
Ruth Bascom said that the root of her convictions was her desire to create a nurturing community for children and families. The community enjoys many tangible and lasting manifestations of her vision, desire, and energy.
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