Baraboo

(Monroe High Class of 1964)

To the editor:

It was sad to see in Friday's paper that Ruf's has closed. My family has many great memories. My father, as he walked to work every morning, would stop at Ruf's on the way. When I was carrying papers for The Monroe Evening Times, my first stop was always at Ruf's, I would pick up the previous day's papers, take them back to the Times office and then take down the present day edition. Then I would go back to the Times to pick up the papers for my normal route. I fondly remember Bill Hawthorne and Pauline Potts. Later in his life, Dad worked at Ruf's part-time filling in on weekends and after he retired from the WP&L, worked during the week too. My girls have great memories of going to see Grandpa where he worked; the marble counters, the malts, the candy bins and the popcorn.

Ruf's was not just a retail establishment, it was a social club where people of all stripes of life met if only briefly. Every one from county judges to appliance repairmen met and exchanged jokes and views. Monsignor Campion would stop in and pick up his cigars. Who could forget the Cubs Word Series Club that was posted on the wall waiting for the game that unfortunately never came? Names were put up and removed as people passed on before their chance came and others were added to replace them.

A sad day for Monroe.