Ruth Wilson Hurley

(1895 - 1984)

Profession: Civic Leader

Hometown: Tulsa

Inducted: 1960

Ruth Wilson Hurley came to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1919 when she married Oklahoma native Patrick J. Hurley. There, Hurley served as president of the Tulsa Junior League. In 1928, under her leadership, the league built the Convalescent Home for Crippled Children which primarily cared for those recovering from polio. Eventually renamed the Children's Medical Center, it was incorporated into the Hillcrest Healthcare Systems in 1994. 

Upon her husband's appointment to Secretary of War in 1929 by President Herbert Hoover, the couple relocated to Washington, D.C. Despite the short duration of her Oklahoma residency, Hurley took a special interest in the health and welfare of marginalized people living in and around Tulsa and Coalgate, the latter being her husband's birthplace and hometown until he enlisted to serve during World War I.

In the 1950s Hurley and her husband returned to the Coalgate area to build two much-needed medical facilities for the community. They supported the creation of the Mary Hurley Hospital, now the Coal County General Hospital, and the Ruth Wilson Hurley Manor, a nursing home for seniors. Both facilities continue providing services to people in Coalgate and the surrounding rural areas.

Hurley also used her time and talents to support other interests, one of which was symphony music. While in Washington, D.C. she served on the board that organized the National Symphony Orchestra. Later, while living in New Mexico, she served as president of the Guild of the Rio Grande Symphony.