Ruth Wilf, CNM, PhD, a birth educator and longtime midwife at Lifecycle WomanCare in Bryn Mawr (aka Bryn Mawr Birth Center), has recently become one of our donors of important archival material. At 88 years old, she has accumulated and provided to us a rich collection of books, training materials, photos, and all of the documentation that reflected her activities as a midwife. Before Ruth, I was not at all familiar with many of the technical or intimate details regarding childbirth. But just by skimming the titles of books, and finding small, but meaningful, notes to her I knew who she was. One thing that stuck with me was a photo album of births that she donated. Though a bit surprised at first, seeing such an intimate and beautiful moment in a photograph enlightened me, and exposed me to a world I had never been in before, I felt as though I knew her patients just as well as she did. Seen here are photos of one of many births captured by Ruth. Faces have been blurred for privacy reasons.

Ms. Wilf is addressed by many in such high regard. I reviewed notes sent to her expressing gratitude and thanking her for inspiration and dedication to her practice, women, and the African-American community. She has worked for different entities throughout her life, and she has dedicated decades to public service and compassion in her field. I have never physically met Ms. Wilf, however, after several hours of cataloging some of the hundreds of books that she donated to us here at the Legacy Center, I feel as though I have known her all her life. While I have never met the honorable Ms. Ruth Wilf, when I do, I know that I will recognize her. Through her history, I have developed a spiritual connection with her. Through my week-long journey, I have been inspired, enlightened, and connected. So thank you Drexel, and thank you, Dr. Wilf. And if you the reader, ever come in contact with her, tell her my name is Caren, and I am an admirer.