Ruth Graham, born in March 1894, was the fifth of nine children of John Quincy and Frances "Fannie" Bryant Graham. She grew up on the farm and graduated from Loris High School and, in 1914, cum laude from Coker College.
She began at Dothan Academy, a private boarding school located near the NC-SC line, a teaching career that lasted fifty years. She recalled making $43 a month. She married the headmaster, Paul Halfacre in 1916 and traveled constantly when he worked for a tobacco company. They had one daughter, Martha, before he died a year later.
Returning to Loris, Ruth Halfacre went to work for the Loris Bank (later Farmers) as a cashier. She remarried in 1923 and she and Clay Hughes had two children, Henry and Patricia. Mrs. Hughes returned to teaching and continued as teacher at Loris and Green Sea School until 1970 when she retired.
Mrs. Hughes was a teacher in the Sunday School at the Methodist Church where she was a member and helped form the "Good Cheer" class. She was also a member of the Missionary Society and of the American Legion Auxiliary. Now in poor health, Mrs. Hughes is a resident of the Extended Care Facility.
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