Terwilliger Trust Scholarship Fund
Scholarship Sponsored by The Community Foundation of Mendocino County
Scholarship Overview
This award was established by Jack and Ruby Terwilliger to help students who show initiative, a “make it happen” mindset, and a strong drive to succeed.
Eligibility
- Location/School: Laytonville High School
- GPA: Weighted 3.0 or higher
- Financial need: Not required
- Other requirements: Demonstrated potential for academic success and participation in community service
- Special requirement: Completion of the GRIT scale
About Jack and Ruby Terwilliger
Jack and Ruby were an unusually energetic and creative couple who packed a remarkable amount into their lives together. Jack was born in 1914 in Willits, California; Ruby was born in 1918 in Albany, Kentucky. They served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and met in Pensacola. The story passed down in the family says that Ruby, who stood about 4'6", got into trouble while swimming and Jack, at roughly 6'2", rescued her. They married soon afterward and remained married for 58 years.
After the war the couple settled in Branscomb, California, where they built and ran several sawmills. Ruby, who had graduated in accounting from Berea College in Kentucky before joining the Navy, handled the bookkeeping. The Terwilligers accomplished far more than most couples — in their own words and in the memories of those who knew them, their lifetime output was several times the norm.
A life-changing accident occurred in the mid-1950s while Jack was working on a large circular saw at the Laytonville mill: an electrical incident severed his left arm at the shoulder. He was rushed to Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits, where Dr. Babcock stitched and stabilized him. The injury affected their sawmill operations, and Ruby stepped into new pursuits to help the family. She became a sales representative for Studio Girl Cosmetics and astonishingly rose to become the company’s top salesperson in the United States, earning significant income and prize travel — including trips to Paris.
Later ventures and pursuits
Jack had wide-ranging interests: he was a licensed pilot, an inventor, a poet and philosopher, and he staked claims on jade in Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties. In the late 1950s the couple moved to Fresno, bought a home, and launched several enterprises. They created their own cosmetics line called “Ja-Ru” (the name formed from the first two letters of Jack and Ruby). Jack famously mixed batches of product on the kitchen table with an electric mixer. The Ja-Ru line sold for roughly a decade.
For more than forty years they operated a Lapidary Arts shop located across the street from their home. Jack also produced a monthly booklet for lapidary club members titled the “DopStick.” A sign that hung behind Jack’s desk for decades read “Ain’t Noth’n, etc.,” a phrase that captures the scholarship’s spirit: don’t wait for things to happen — make them happen. (A poem by Jack titled “The Forever Generation” is associated with their legacy.)
Legacy
Ruby lived to age 83; Jack reached 90. They are buried side-by-side in the cemetery in Albany, Kentucky, Ruby’s hometown. The Terwilliger Scholarship is intended to honor their example by encouraging students who act, persist, and pursue their goals with grit and determination. Good luck in your application — and then go out and get ’em.