Ruth Bellamy (November 5, 1906 – March 5, 1969), also known as Ruth Bellamy Brownwood, was an American writer, a journalist, dramatist, songwriter, actress, and poet, based in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and Japan.

Early life and education

Ruth Elizabeth Bellamy was born in

Enfield, North Carolina Enfield is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States, and was founded in 1740. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 1,864, which reflected a decrease of almost 27% from the population of 2,538 in 2010. It is the oldest t ...

, the daughter of Phesington Sugg Bellamy and Lula Spruill Bellamy. Her father was a businessman. Her mother, known as "Mamee", was a well-known social figure in Rocky Mount in her later years. Bellamy earned a bachelor's degree in dramatics at the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...

in 1928, and pursued further studies at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

Career

Bellamy was head of the Spoken English and Expression department at High Point College, and taught dramatics; she was active in women's club activities at High Point. She worked at a travel agency in San Francisco. She taught English and wrote in Japan for five years, and in Hong Kong for two years. She edited two books by , including ''Reluctant Bachelor'' (1962). She wrote poems, songs, plays, and articles, including a song titled "Blues Tokyo" that became popular in Japan. Bellamy also acted through much of her life, performing in school as a girl, and active on stage and backstage with the Morningside Players in New York, the Civic Theater in Washington, D.C., and the Tokyo Amateur Dramatic Club.

Personal life

Ruth Bellamy married, and had a son, David Owen Brownwood, born in Los Angeles in 1935. She married a screenwriter, William A. Golkopf, in 1946, in New York City; they divorced in 1948. She died at

Duke University Hospital Duke University Hospital is a 1062 -bed acute care facility and an academic tertiary care facility located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1930, it is the flagship teaching hospital for the Duke University Health Sys ...

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, in 1969, aged 62 years. Her papers are archived at

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellamy, Ruth 1906 births 1969 deaths People from Enfield, North Carolina 20th-century American women journalists University of North Carolina at Greensboro alumni 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American songwriters American women songwriters