American Mothers, Inc.

Dr. Ruth Mitchell Laws of Dover, Delaware passed away on February 14, 2010.  A pioneer and a legend, Dr. Laws was far ahead of her time.  As such, she accomplished a number of 'firsts' during her lifetime.  She was the first female in the country to earn a doctorate in Administration and Supervision.  She was also the first minority professional to gain employment at the former Delaware Department of Public Instruction (now Department of Education).  Dr. Laws was the first inductee the first year of the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame and in 1986, was the first minority female to be inducted as Delaware's Mother of the Year.

Dr. Laws held a host of professional positions during her 43 year career and secured the first federal funds for Head Start and Migrant Education programs in the State of Delaware.  In recognition of her work with Head Start, Lady Byrd Johnson invited her to the White House.  Dr. Laws has been recognized by a number of former Delaware governors along with the Delaware Bar Association for her work in governmnet and civic concerns.  For more than eighteen years she served as Secretary for he Delaware division of the US Commission on Civil Rights. She was also appointed to several state commissions including the Commission on Children and Youth and the Commission on Aging.  Dr. Laws was a member of Delta Sigma theta, The Links, Inc., Phi Delta Kappa, American Mothers, NAACP, AAUW, League of Women Voters, the Alphabettes, the Dover Century Club and the Whatcoat United Methodist Church of Dover.  She is predeceased by her parents, the Rev. and Mrs. C.S. Mitchell, and her husband, William Laws, of sixty-one years.  She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Cherritta Matthews of Dover, Delaware and one grandson.