THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602230148
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
Ruth Weston Brown can never say enough good about Portsmouth. Whether she's on national television or being interviewed by newspapers after receiving some award, she always talks about her hometown although she hasn't lived here for almost half a century.
``They ask me where I'm from, I say Portsmouth,'' Brown said.
Last weekend, when she came home for a concert and to autograph her new autobiography, she was no less enthusiastic.
Recalling her youth in the 700 block of London St., the legendary blues singer remembered the days when the whole town ``raised the children.'' Young people minded their manners and their actions, even when their parents weren't around, because they knew the neighbors were as interested in their behavior as their mothers and fathers.
Life was not always a piece of cake for Brown, but she always landed on her feet. She says it was her upbringing in Portsmouth that gave her the courage to keep on trucking.
She's aiming now to get Portsmouth in the movies. Her contract for the filming of her life story gives her some control over the production, Brown said, and the first thing she recommended was shooting some of the scenes here.
Ruth Brown is a good example, any way you look at her.
For the Portsmouth folks who tend to put down their city, her boosterism reminds us all what a wonderful place it is.
For young people who think they can't make it, her life says ``yes, you can.'' by CNB