When Ruth Benn became Director of WRL’s National Office in 1994, she was entering uncharted territory: In its first 71 years, neither the League or the National Office had ever had a director. She was astonishingly successful in that very difficult job. But last year she decided it was time to move on. (WRL has hired Executive Committee member and former WRL Treasurer Melissa Jameson for the job—see p. 16.) What follows is, first, Ruth’s own goodbye to the job (but not to the League), and then, a well-deserved appreciation of her accomplishments by some of her many colleagues and friends (space considerations prohibit running comments from all of them).
So Long But Not Good-bye
by Ruth Benn
In March 1987 I began my “dream job”: I joined the staff of War Resisters League to edit this very publication, the Nonviolent Activist. In March 1993 I decided it was time to do something else; that was the first time I left the WRL staff.
Ruth (l.) with WRL’s Vicki Rovere, Ralph DiGia and war tax resister Wally Nelson at the 1992 Colrain, MA, vigil for war tax resisters Randy Kehler and Betsy Corner. Joanne Sheehan.
I returned to the staff as Director of the National Office in August 1994, when the organization was struggling to survive a financial and staffing crisis. David McReynolds was working part-time keeping up disarmament work, the Key List and membership correspondence; Andy Mager was editing the magazine part-time from upstate New York; and retired staff members Ralph DiGia, Karl Bissinger and Liz Aberman were giving their time to keep the office open and maintain the mailing list. Mike Levinson had been part of the team keeping the office running until I returned.
Six years later we’re back to a reasonable-sized staff: four full-time and two part-time positions and the continued and invaluable help of Ralph, Karl and Liz. David “retired” last year and was busy campaigning for the Socialist Party, but his ties to WRL are still strong. Our finances are even pretty good, thanks to so many of you and your continued support and to members whose names we treasure in our hearts for their bequests left to WRL. During my years here we have lost so many wonderful people, young and old: Igal Roodenko, Virginia Eggleston, Jill Boskey, Bent Andreson, Erica Enzer, Ernest and Marion Bromley, Helen Michalowski, Peg Averill, Maris Cakars, Joe Felmet, Ping Ferry—too many to name but none forgotten. But with the YouthPeace program, begun in 1994, we have also gained many new, young members, who will take their turn at shaping WRL in the coming years.
Last spring I decided that it was time for me to do something new, and in early November I rejoined you as a member of WRL, a volunteer activist, and a committed war tax resister. I’m very pleased that local activist and former Executive Committee member Melissa Jameson will be taking my place as Director, and I’ll be around to help her get started. In an organization with anarchist influences and a value on consensus decision-making (at least to a point), being “director” means walking a rather delicate line. First of all, remember: It’s “Director of the National Office,” not “Director of the War Resisters League”! The office doesn’t want a boss, and luckily I never wanted to be such a thing. Still, finding a structure that satisfies our desire for change while ensuring smooth functioning will continue to be a big challenge for the staff and Executive Committee (which meets monthly in New York and oversees the day-to-day running of the organization).
And WRL’s future? I think we can safely say that there will be one, something we couldn’t be sure of in 1994. If I have done something to ensure that, I am glad. Politically and programmatically there are many challenges. We are bombarded with issues, and there is a pull to try to do everything, to respond to every crisis, to be allies with everyone who is doing anything for change. The National Committee has embarked on a round of strategic planning, and I hope that it will help to bring focus to our goals and program work. It feels to me that we are somewhat adrift, but perhaps that is because I have been too close to it. In stepping down I am glad for the new perspective and the chance to find new ways to support this organization that I love.
It has been a privilege to get paid to do work that I believe in so deeply. Thank you for your trust and for your activism, and see you at the next WRL National Conference!
Ruth has recently started working part-time as Finance Manager for the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra and also joins her partner Ed Hedemann in developing his freelance “office support business” doing bookkeeping, desktop publishing, website design, editing and photography.
