a devastating experience. Just a few years after
Leon's parents were married, Leon's father was at-
tacked and murdered by robbers.
mother Ruby gathered her three children together
in the living room of their New Orleans home and
told them about their father's death. Leon was
five, his sister a year younger and his brother a
year older. Leon's mother explained that his father
and a friend were returning home from work when
they were attacked by two men. His father and the
friend were stabbed during the robbery. The friend
survived but their father died at the scene.
in the New Orleans newspaper. When Salvation
Army Captain Kenneth Howarth read the story,
he decided to visit the family. Trying to keep her
family together, Ruby Ferraez turned to Captain
Howarth for assistance. Captain Howarth hired
her to work in the Social Services department.
and the children soon became involved in the Army's
many programs for young people. Eventually, the
family were enrolled as soldiers. Ruby soon became
the head of the Social Services department, where
she served for 45 years.
of the Needy." The phrase was used publicly and
privately by professional social service authorities
and by local citizens. The mayor honored her twice
for her work, and in 1983 she was admitted to the
Order of the Founder, The Salvation Army's high-
est honor. In the words of then General Jarl
Wahlstrom, Ruby "magnificently epitomized the
spirit of the Founder, William Booth." She was the
first soldier in the Southern Territory to receive
the award.
the many programs offered by the Army. Fred
married a fellow Salvationist. He left New Orleans
to attend Bethany College in Oklahoma City and
was ordained as a Nazarene Church minister at
graduation. Dina studied education at Louisiana
State University and became a teacher and then
principal of an elementary school in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. After serving in the Marines, Leon
entered the Salvation Army Training College in At-
lanta, Georgia and served as a Salvation Army
officer until his retirement in 1995.
he liked to let people know that we can triumph
over adversity and even terrible trauma. Despite
the tragic loss of his father, he had a happy child-
hood because of the strength of his Christian
mother and the many Salvation Army officers who
influenced his life.