Kikue Ruth Kumata photograph collection

Kikue “Ruth” Kumata (b. 1926) was born in Seattle, Washington to Misao and Hachiro Kumata. When World War II began, the Kumata family was sent to Puyallup Assembly Center for a brief period of time before being permanently interned at the Minidoka Relocation Center in Jerome County, Idaho. In 1945, Ruth was accepted into Augustana College where she earned her undergraduate degree over a four year period. She then moved to Illinois to earn her master’s degree in the field of library sciences. She worked as a librarian in Brooklyn, New York for four years and then moved to Chicago where she worked as a librarian in the Chicago Public Library system for 30 years. Currently, Ruth volunteers at the Japanese American Service Committee Legacy Center.

Source: Kumata, Kikue Ruth