# Ruhe, David S. (1914-2005)

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, Ruhe, David S. (1914-2005), bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Ruhe, David S. (1914-2005)
> 
> National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States
> 
> 2005-09-06
> 
> Download: passing_david_ruhe.pdf.
> 
> David S. Ruhe, 1914-2005
> 
> Dr. David S. Ruhe
> 
> HAIFa, Israel, 7 September 2005 (BWNS) -- Dr. David S. Ruhe, former member of the Universal House of Justice, died Tuesday, 6
> September 2005, near his home in Newburgh, New York, following a stroke in mid-August. He was 91.
> Dr. Ruhe became a Bahá'í in Philadelphia in 1941, subsequently serving on numerous Local Spiritual Assemblies and national Bahá'í
> committees. Elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States in 1959, he served as its secretary from 1963
> until 1968, when he was elected to the Universal House of Justice. His service on the Bahá'í Faith's supreme governing council here
> extended for five terms of five years each until 1993.
> A medical doctor, Dr. Ruhe was also an accomplished film-maker, painter, and author. Graduating from Temple University School of
> Medicine in 1941, Dr. Ruhe began his medical career during World War II as a malaria researcher in the United States Public Health
> Service where he was promoted to the rank of Medical Director.
> In l954, Dr. Ruhe was named the first professor of Medical Communications at the University of Kansas Medical School. Among the
> innovations he introduced there were the use of optical fibers for endoscopic cinematography, the projection of high-definition images
> in surgical theaters, and videotaping of psychiatric sessions for peer review.
> He made scores of medical films, winning the Golden Reel award, the Venice Film Festival award, and the Royal Photographic Society of
> Great Britain award for his productions. In the course of his work in medical education he was appointed Director of the Medical Film
> Institute for the Association of American Medical Colleges.
> Dr. Ruhe was a prolific writer. In his medical career, he authored many papers and two books on aspects of medicine and medical
> audiovisual communication.
> During his years at the Bahá'í World Centre, Dr. Ruhe researched and wrote Door of Hope, detailed explanation of the history and
> significance of Bahá'í holy places in Israel, published in 1983. Later, he wrote Robe of Light, a historical account of
> Bahá'u'lláh's early years, published in 1994. Dr. Ruhe was also an accomplished painter who was trained in the Lehigh Valley school of
> impressionism.
> Upon his 1993 departure from the Universal House of Justice, Dr. Ruhe and his wife, Margaret, returned to New York State where he
> produced a series of documentary TV programs about the Bahá'í Faith.
> Dr. Ruhe is survived by his wife, Margaret, and two sons, Christopher and Douglas, and their families.
> BWC-DSM-050907-1-DRRUHE-388-N
> 
> METADATA
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> Views11605 views since posted 2012-11-10; last edit 2026-02-22 04:14 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../david_ruhe_in_memoriam
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> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/1702
> Citation: ris/1702
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> — *Ruhe, David S. (1914-2005) (Used by permission of the curator)*