Wednesday, December 30, 2020
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As a child, I lived next door to Max's sister, Ruth Gum Ruckman. Ruth often updated us about Max, but I really did not know him. Thus, I can't leave much of a remembrance of Max for his nieces, Jane and Eloise. But I can speak to them about their parents, Bill and Ruth Ruckman, who were memorable people. Ruth was a kind and thoughtful neighbor who often brought us cornpone. She worked for years as a secretary in the principal's office of Hillsboro Elementary and High Schools, thus, many young people in the community knew her. Bill was nothing short of a local legend with his hunting escapades. My husband and I often talk about Bill Ruckman and how hunters today would not be able to keep up with him. He certainly did not believe in hunting from a truck!! One of my most vivid childhood memories is seeing him running full blast up the mountain with his dogs after getting a call about a bear in the area! Max's obituary states that he worked on family history, so this message is to encourage Jane and Eloise to locate his papers and to donate them to the West Virginia University library's West Virginia Regional History Center. The Center is actively seeking family history that can be preserved and even published to the web for others who would be interested (like me). Max was an accomplished and interesting person, and the Gum family farm was an integral part of the larger Marvin Chapel area of Pocahontas County. Max was often there over the years, and now that he is gone, I would love to see his research of local families published. My condolences to the family.
