Wisconsin woman journalist and teacher.

Ruth Nelson Redstrom was born in Minnesota on November 23, 1898, the daughter of a Lutheran minister from Sundsvall, Sweden and his wife, the church organist, Carolina “Lina” Dahlgren Nelson. One of three surviving Nelson children, Redstrom had a strong affinity for music from a young age, beginning piano lessons while visiting a family member in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Redstrom attended Augustana College as a music major, where she met John Redstrom, then a chemistry major. After the two married, they moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where both were hired as teachers. While in Kenosha, Ruth Redstrom published the column “One Woman’s View" from 1939 through 1941, opinion pieces discussing everything from family life to politics. John went on to become a principal, to receive his masters degree in education from Northwestern University, and to nearly finish a PhD from University of Chicago. The Redstroms had three children, Lois Carolina, Ruth Arlene “Sis”, and John, Jr. “Junior” also known as Sam.

Just after World War II, the Redstroms moved to Washington DC, where John was engaged in war relief efforts. Shortly after, the couple moved to Athens, Greece, where they helped distribute food and clothing for the United States government. While in Greece, at the age of 51, Ruth was widowed when John Redstrom died of a heart attack unexpectedly. She returned to Washington, D.C., and began a confidential job for the National Security Administration, telling her family only that she must learn Russian. She continued her work for the NSA until her retirement at 65. She died in September, 1988.