Harms covers membership enrollment

WIT Club News - March 2001

     Whether you call in or visit the WIT Club office, its likely the first person to greet you will be Ruth Harms.
     Ruth is the membership coordinator and she will have served in that position for 10 years in April.  Her responsibilities include processing all new or renewed memberships that come in by mail, fax, e-mail or those who drop by the office in the Visitor Center.  She also works with the state clubs and local chapters on their by-laws, officer rosters and membership rosters.  Ruth sends out materials for Show and Tells and processes the mail forwarding too.
     And of course, she answers the phones.
     "I'm usually the first person members talk to when they they call in.  I'm the first person they see when they come in too," Ruth commented.
     The job has a certain routine to it, but she adds many days also have plenty of variety.  Things can get a little ectic during Grand National Rally in the summer when there are a large numbers of visitors and the regular business to attend to.
     Ruth says the best part of her job has been meeting so many different people and, over the years, becoming good friends with them.  She recalls when a member gave her a puppy that had been born to his purebred dog.  She said she just started to cry when he gave it to her.
     "I still haave that dog." Ruth said.   "This couple was like having second grandparents.  They were really nice people.  My husband and I would go out with them when they came for GNR.
     There havae been some humorous times on the job too.   One year at GNR Ruth somehow became in charge of  "pet patrol."   First, a cat  was found on the grounds and not claimed, so she took care of it.  They a parakeet showed up on the rally grounds.  She cared for the bird until its owner, who lived in Forest City, was found.  Next it was a lost dog....the following GNR, Ruth steered clear of that job.
     Before starting at the WIT office in 1991, Harms worked for six years in the Winnebago Industries engineering department in documentation services.   At the time she was working part-time while the job with WIT was a full-time position so she moved to the new job.  Although her duties haven't changed much in the past 10 years, Harms says the technology has.  She said everyone had IBM computers and used dot matrix printers.  Now they usr PC's and print out on laser jet printers.  Computer programs have also become easier to use making some parts of her job easier, Ruth commented.
     Ruth is originally from Illinois but has lived here since 1973.  She and her husband Duane, head agronomist at the farmers Co-operative Association in Forest City, have been married almost five years.  Ruth has one daughter, Rachel who is married and lives in a nearby town with her three children.   Duane also has a daughter, Beth, who lives in the area and is married and has one son.
    She enjoys cross stitch, gardening and walking.  Ruth also likes car races and takes in local events during the summer.  She is looking forward to a chance to attend a NASCAR event in the future.   A personal goal she would like to work toward is to operate her own business, although she's still considering what that business should be.