Articles

Three Women and a Sailboat by Berkeley Malm

Ruth Waltenspiel

Ruth Waltenspiel and her husband, of 65 years, Ron are the owners of Timber Crest Farms in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. They started the ranch in 1957 and are considered pioneers in American production of dried fruit and sun-dried tomatoes. Timber Crest Farms was transformed into a cluster of smaller-scale production wineries Dry Creek Valley’s first collective wine-tasting venue, Family Wineries, and artisan food producers such as Dry Creek Olive Oil Company.

Ruth is an active competitor, riding her horse on in national endurance races through the American Endurance Ride Conference. Ruth competes actively for about two weeks every spring, summer and fall. During the 2018 Kincade Fire, Ruth stayed behind in Dry Creek during the evacuations to take care of her neighbor’s animals.

Ruth began taking courses at Sonoma State in 1984 where she developed a passion for the campus. For more than a decade, Ruth has been a valued supporter of Sonoma State as an active participant in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and the School of Science and Technology. Ruth has served as an ambassador for OLLI and has served on the Advisory Board since 2014. She also maintains a passion for supporting students in STEM and is an active participant in SSU’s annual research symposium. A trusted advisor and volunteer to SSU, Ruth’s passion led to a generous gift to the School of Science and Technology to support STEM and health programs. In addition, she has generously supported the school with donations of wine from her vineyard.

Deeply appreciative of the help and kindness she has received from fellow students and instructors over the years, she has pledged to continue taking classes, volunteering, and supporting SSU.

Article taken from the SSU 2022 Commencement Program – May 21, 2022.

Congratulations to Ruth from all of her friends at OLLI! Thank you for all that you give to SSU and to OLLI.