Ruth Hughes Aarons was a US table tennis player, vaudeville entertainer, and talent manager.
11 Facts About Ruth Aarons
2.
Ruth Aarons was born in Stamford, Connecticut, to Leila, an opera singer, and Alfred E Aarons, a Broadway theatrical producer.
3.
Ruth Aarons came from a wealthy Jewish family, and lived in New York City, where she attended and graduated from St Agatha Episcopal High School in 1936.
4.
Originally a tennis player, Aarons was reportedly introduced to table tennis by mere chance, in the summer of 1933.
5.
Over time, Ruth Aarons developed and mastered her own defensive technique centered on the "shakehand" grip, for which she became notable.
6.
Ruth Aarons would spend the next five years traveling the United States and Europe, competing in various table tennis matches and championships, and enjoying much success, eventually building a reputation as a strong defensive player.
7.
Ruth Aarons won doubles and team medals for the United States in the World Table Tennis Championships.
8.
In England Ruth Aarons faced sanctions by the English Table Tennis Association, who had jurisdiction over her USATT-made performance contracts for shows in England, and eventual suspension by the International Table Tennis Federation in January 1937.
9.
In 1966, Ruth Aarons was inducted in the USATT Hall of Fame for her contributions to and success in the sport of table tennis.
10.
Later in life, Ruth Aarons developed an addiction to prescription medication, particularly Seconal.
11.
On June 6,1980, just five days before her 62nd birthday, Ruth Aarons was found dead in the shower of her Beverly Hills home, presumably from falling and hitting her head.