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Series 2. Ruth Kirkby papers, 1951-2005, undated

 Series

Series Scope and Contents

This series contains correspondence, copies of public records, notes, ephemera, technical reports, government publications, photographs, and other documentation pertaining to Ruth Kirkby's community activism and involvement with the Stringfellow Hazardous Waste Site closure and cleanup. A small percentage of the papers deals exclusively with the affairs of the Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center (JMCC). The records date from 1951 to 2005, with the bulk spanning the years 1972-1987; undated materials are also included. Documents dating from the 1950s and 1960s are primarily copies of public records, while the majority of records created by Ruth Kirkby date from the 1970s and 1980s.

In her capacity as Parents of Jurupa, Inc., corresponding secretary and Executive Director of the JMCC, Kirkby regularly corresponded with state and federal legislators and local administrators in Riverside County and surrounding areas. Correspondents include, but are not limited to, the following: Representative George E. Brown, Jr., California State Senator Robert Presley, California Assemblyman Walter M. Ingalls, the California Governor's Office, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, the California Department of Health Services, the California Solid Waste Management Board, the California Public Utilities Commission, the Riverside County Departments of Public Health and Development, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, the City of Riverside Department of Public Works, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. In addition to Kirkby, recipients of incoming correspondence include members of Parents of Jurupa, Inc., the Stringfellow Advisory Committee, and the Glen Avon community.

Kirkby also acquired a substantial aggregation of public records via her political participation, frequently making requests to local and state agencies for information regarding the Stringfellow Quarry Company, the acid pits, and cleanup and closure efforts in Riverside County. The bulk of the documentation consists of photocopies of correspondence and other records sent between various individuals and corporate bodies, many of them cited above.

Kirkby's network of federal, state, local, and private agency contacts frequently sent her copies of technical reports and government publications as they became available, some of which she later annotated. Select reports include attached correspondence indicating documentation was sent to members of Parents of Jurupa, Inc., the Stringfellow Advisory Committee, or other groups. Many were written in response to requests for proposals and not universally chosen for implementation. There is some duplication between publications collected by Kirkby and those contained in Series 3.

Folder descriptions are not comprehensive.

Dates

  • Creation: 1951-2005, undated

Creator

Languages

From the Collection:

The collection is in English.

Access

This collection is open for research.

Biographical Note

A resident of Glen Avon, California, since 1942, Ruth Kirkby was a trained geologist and outspoken political activist for her community. In 1969 she founded Parents of Jurupa, Inc., an organization dedicated to the elimination of the Stringfellow Hazardous Waste Site and the welfare of fellow residents. She served as the organization's corresponding secretary, lobbying public officials in local, state, and federal government on behalf of Glen Avon and representing the community to the regional news media.

Kirkby was a member of numerous committees related to the Stringfellow cleanup effort, including the Stringfellow Advisory Committee (sponsored by the California Department of Health Services, Toxic Substances Control Division), the Technical Advisory Committee (sponsored by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board), and the Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee (sponsored by the Riverside County Roads Department). She also corresponded with UC Riverside Assistant Professor of Geophysics Don J. Stierman, Ph.D., who proposed studies of the Stringfellow site to inform closure procedures.

Along with her husband, Sam, Kirkby founded the Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center (JMCC) in November 1964, an organization dedicated to the natural history of the Jurupa Mountains and the Riverside area. Located in Glen Avon, Kirkby served as Executive Director of the center until 1994. Records of the Parents of Jurupa, Inc., were kept at the JMCC, where the group held its meetings.

Ruth Kirkby died on January 25, 2007 in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 92.

Extent

From the Collection: 44.17 Linear Feet (38 boxes)

Series Arrangement

Preliminary inventorying of the Ruth Kirkby papers was undertaken by Special Collections & Archives staff in 1995. The papers' current physical arrangement reflects the order prepared at that time.

This series is arranged sequentially by box and folder numbers.

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscript Collections Repository

Contact:
University of California
Rivera Library
P.O. Box 5900
Riverside 92517-5900 USA