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JSU Alumnus Contributes Stock in Parents' Memory |
 Dr. Robert E. Ringer presents a gift of investment grade stock to Jacksonville State University. Dr. Rebecca Turner, vice president for academic and student affairs, accepts the gift, which will provide income to fund faculty development and travel. JACKSONVILLE -- October 2, 2002 -- Jacksonville State University alumnus Dr. Robert (Rob) E. Ringer (Class of ’49) recently presented a gift of stock to the JSU Foundation in memory of his parents, Raymond J. and Ruth Chisolm Ringer, to provide income for faculty development and travel. Raymond J. Ringer was born on July 20th, 1896 near Round Mountain, Alabama. He was first son and second child born to Florence Lewis Ringer and William Edward Ringer. He was a graduate of Cherokee County High School and a 1922 graduate of Jacksonville State Normal School. He was a member of the mathematics faculty at Jacksonville State from 1922 until 1930. He was a 1927 graduate of Peabody College for Teachers and a World War I army veteran. In 1922, he married Mary Ruth Chisolm, also of Cherokee County. Ruth Chisolm was also a Cherokee County High School alumni, and briefly attended the Normal School at Jacksonville. Their children are: Raymond Edward of Valley Head, Joyce Allen (Mrs. Harold M. Allen) of Centre, and Robert Ellis of Marianna, Florida. All three children were born in Jacksonville. After a brief move to Birmingham in 1930, the family lived in Cherokee County until 1936. While living in Cherokee, Raymond Ringer was a teacher and principal at several county schools. In 1936, he became affiliated with the Brown-Service Insurance Company, which later was absorbed by the Liberty National Life Insurance Company. Raymond Ringer was the first full-time company representative in DeKalb County and the family moved to DeKalb. He developed a successful business with Liberty National and continued with them until his retirement in 1961. He was a charter member of the DeKalb County Underwriters Association. Both Raymond and Ruth Ringer were active members of the Methodist Church. Raymond Ringer served faithfully on the administrative board, as Church School Superintendent and as a Sunday school teacher. He was also involved with the Masonic Lodge and served several terms as commander of the Valley Head American Legion Post. Ruth Ringer was a homemaker. Both parents encouraged all their children in any worthy pursuit. Their eldest son, Raymond Edward, earned a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1949 from what was then the Jacksonville State Teachers College and later went on to Auburn University. He was a teacher and school administrator in DeKalb County and has been active in the Alabama Retired Teachers Association. He is a past president of the DeKalb County chapter and is a recent past state president of the state association. The second born, Joyce Allen, completed two degrees in biology at the University of Alabama. She taught biology at Alabama and for a short time at the Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi. She also worked in a military dependents school in Taiwan. Although a competent biologist, Joyce’s primary interest has been homemaking. Her husband, an army medical officer now retired, gave her the opportunity to live in many places. The youngest child, Robert (Rob), is a 1949 graduate of Jacksonville State Teachers College. He also earned advanced degrees from Mississippi College and the University of Mississippi. He was a professor of chemistry at Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Florida and is now retired. “My parents always thought the best of me. They were encouragers,” said Robert Ringer. “They sacrificed much for our family. I was indeed fortunate to have the example they gave me." Raymond J. Ringer died October 22, 1961. Ruth Chisolm Ringer died on June 25, 1982. |
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