Ruth N. Begun
April 3, 1912 ~ November 11, 2014
Ruth Begun
Ruth was born Ruth Weltmann, in Berlin, Germany in April 3, 1912. She passed away at the age of 102 on November 11, 2014. Ruth studied PhD level physics at the University of Berlin, the first Woman to do so. Her thesis was on boundary layers of non-compressible fluids. Ruth came to the United States in 1937 to work at Inter-chemical in New York City. There, she developed and patented a new device called a viscometer, which evinces the speed at which presses bleed ink. She married Semi Joe Begun in 1938. In 1941 she moved to Cleveland Ohio, where she joined NASA, Glen Space Center. There, she co-developed the (now commercially viable) spacecraft ion engine. She was also a visiting professor of Rheology at Case Western University. In 1972 Ruth and Semi founded the "Society for the Prevention of Violence (SVP)", and in 2001 they established the "Begun Foundation", both dedicated to addressing the scourge of violence in our society. Ruth wrote her first of six books "Social Skills: Lessons and Activities for PreK" in 1990. Ruth was a tenacious and avid learner and lover of life, and continued to work on her writing and to read scientific literature as a centenarian. She is survived by her nephews nieces, and their descendants, Allan, Jacob, and Emma Steinhardt, Ruth Sanderson, and Mia Weltmann. Please Send donations to the SVP 6393 Oak Tree Blvd. Suite 342, Independence, OH 44131 in lieu of flowers.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
Ruth was born Ruth Weltmann, in Berlin, Germany in April 3, 1912. She passed away at the age of 102 on November 11, 2014. Ruth studied PhD level physics at the University of Berlin, the first Woman to do so. Her thesis was on boundary layers of non-compressible fluids. Ruth came to the United States in 1937 to work at Inter-chemical in New York City. There, she developed and patented a new device called a viscometer, which evinces the speed at which presses bleed ink. She married Semi Joe Begun in 1938. In 1941 she moved to Cleveland Ohio, where she joined NASA, Glen Space Center. There, she co-developed the (now commercially viable) spacecraft ion engine. She was also a visiting professor of Rheology at Case Western University. In 1972 Ruth and Semi founded the "Society for the Prevention of Violence (SVP)", and in 2001 they established the "Begun Foundation", both dedicated to addressing the scourge of violence in our society. Ruth wrote her first of six books "Social Skills: Lessons and Activities for PreK" in 1990. Ruth was a tenacious and avid learner and lover of life, and continued to work on her writing and to read scientific literature as a centenarian. She is survived by her nephews nieces, and their descendants, Allan, Jacob, and Emma Steinhardt, Ruth Sanderson, and Mia Weltmann. Please Send donations to the SVP 6393 Oak Tree Blvd. Suite 342, Independence, OH 44131 in lieu of flowers.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
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Dear Allan and Family, What a remarkable life your Aunt Ruth pursued and lived! You carry on her and your Uncle Semi’s passion to end violence with compassion, intelligence and foresight. May their memories and legacy be forever a blessing.
My first meeting with Ruth in Cleveland was in 1992, while I was serving as a community emissary at the Jewish Federation. Ruth welcomed me into her office with warmth and genuine interest, asking about me and my family. I told her I was a member of the Young Jewish Leadership in Israel and, by profession, an epidemiologist.
The connection to the Jewish people has always been deeply important to me, as someone born into a family of Holocaust survivors. Ruth asked where my family came from. I told her: Berlin and Galicia. Her face lit up immediately.
“Who was your family in Berlin?” she asked. I told her my name and the maiden name of my grandmother, Sabina Heimberg. Ruth looked at me with her penetrating eyes and asked, “Are you the granddaughter of Dr. Heimberg, the pediatrician?”
“Yes,” I answered, “but sadly I never knew her, she perished in the Holocaust.”
Ruth stood up, embraced me, and told me that my grandmother had been her pediatrician and a close family friend. We were both deeply moved, and from that moment on, we became close friends.
Even after my emissary service ended, we remained in touch. Years later, when I was recruited to help the Mayor of Tel Aviv raise funds for city projects, I told him about Ruth and her initiative, a project that simply had to be implemented in Tel Aviv, especially in areas where children were exposed to violence and danger.
We traveled to Cleveland, and the two of them immediately found common ground. Ruth donated the project to preschools and elementary schools in the southern parts of the city. I translated the materials and committed to guiding the educational teams for as long as I could. Even after returning to my academic research, I continued to support and mentor the staff, right up to today.
The results have been remarkable. Ruth will always remain in my heart as one of a kind, truly irreplaceable.
Ruth, your wisdom, kindness, and vision changed lives, mine among them. You were more than a friend; you were a guiding light, a bridge between past and future, and a constant reminder of what true dedication looks like. Your legacy lives on in every child who feels safer, every educator empowered, and every connection you helped build between hearts and generations.
I will carry your memory with me always, with deep love and endless gratitude.
Dr. Meggie Navon Ph.D.
Israel