Ruth Gray photo exhibit at Dirigo Pines

Dirigo Pines Cottage resident Ruth Gray will be honored with a photography display “Shades of Gray” on Friday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at the Dirigo Pines Inn. Gray was born nearly a century ago in Old Town and has always considered the city her home base irrespective of where she has lived or traveled. Ruth’s lifelong interest in photography has resulted in thousands of pictures, some appearing in Colliers, National Geographic, and other publications.

All photos in this exhibit were taken early in Gray’s career. They are from her college days in the 1930s, her post-college work in Maine as a freelance photographer, and her time in Europe during World War II when she was a member of the American Red Cross Clubmobile Group C, XIX Corps. The Clubmobile volunteers served coffee and donuts and talked with servicemen who welcomed a break from the tensions of battle.

Group C served in England during the buildup for the invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and arrived in France the end of July serving troops in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. As opportunities presented themselves to photograph the more peaceful areas, Gray did so. She developed, printed, and mounted her photos upon her return to the United States.

The photos in this exhibit are a representative sample of Gray’s work. The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Dirigo Pines Cottage residents’ “Through The Lens Photography Group” and the Dirigo Pines Inn.