Ralph Vandersnick was born March 16, 1927 in Annawan, Illinois, a small town that was 150 miles from Chicago, Illinois. His mother died when he was five, and his family moved to Atkinson, Illinois in 1934. He grew up in the Great Depression and was drafted into World War II when he was 17, missing high school graduation by a year.
Ruby shares highlights of her life and career path such as working with Hazel Gay, and working as the first fulltime black employee at Sears, and at Palm Mortuary. She provides details of breaking the color barrier on the Strip in 1960s.