FULLERTON COLLEGE CENTENNIAL
Partner With Us!
ALUMNI STORIES: RUBY BERKELEY GOODWIN
RUBY BERKELEY GOODWIN
Attending Fullerton College in 1931 was Ruby Berkeley Goodwin (1903-1961). She wrote her first book of poetry, From My Kitchen Window, in Fullerton, then went on to publish an acclaimed autobiography, It’s Good To Be Black. She wrote the first sketches for her autobiography in a Richard Warner Borst’s English class. She was the first accredited African American correspondent in Hollywood, writing a syndicated movie column for several years, while also serving as publicist for Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel (Gone with the Wind) and gospel singer Ethel Waters. The mother of five, she was named Mother of the Year for the State of California in 1955. She appeared in several movies, including Member of the Wedding and Male Animal, and had a speaking part in Elvis Presley’s Wild in the Country. She also appeared in television shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents. (Courtesy of the Fullerton Public Library.)