“In many ways she was a pioneering academic in political science,” said Professor Chuck Green, a longtime colleague in Macalester’s Political Science Department. “She was among a small group of women who received their Ph.Ds in the 1950s and entered a predominantly male discipline.” Green said Dodge’s teaching featured some of the earliest incorporation of instructional games and simulations of decision-making and conflict resolution; the regular use of guests to connect her students with issues through personal contact with policymakers and advocates; and she actively encouraged and supported student internships with international organizations and agencies. When Macalester had a January term, she led several courses based in New York at the United Nations.

She was also a frequent speaker on current affairs at community organizations throughout the Twin Cities. Even after retirement she consulted with a number of organizations, especially those dealing with international politics and human rights, Green said. Patricia Kane, a retired English professor at Macalester, recalled that Dodge was the first woman elected as presiding officer of the faculty when that custom was established in the 1970s. During the same decade, Dodge, Kane and French Professor Virginia Schubert received a regional grant from HEW designed to raise the career aspirations of women. The grant paid for seminars which brought to campus career women from the Twin Cities who talked about their careers and what paths they followed to reach them. These seminars were very successful, offering role models and contacts for Macalester women students, Schubert said.

Upon Dorothy’s passing, a special fund valued at $1.6 million was established from her estate, through the American Center for Philanthropy - with the proceeds benefiting Macalester College. The fund provides annual scholarships for women political or social science majors. When the gift was announced, the college’s president, Rosenberg, noted, “Dorothy Dodge was an outstanding faculty member for many years and I can think of no better way to remember her than a scholarship for political science students in her name.”

Story courtesy of Macalaster College.

In 2003, the Ruth Gale and George W. Doffing Charitable Fund was established at ACP with an initial contribution of $7.5 million by long-time Hastings resident and philanthropist, Ruth Doffing. Along with her husband George, who died in 1960, Ruth Doffing was active in finance and banking, and many civic causes in Hastings and Wabasha, Minnesota. It was Mrs. Doffing’s wish that upon her passing, she would leave a legacy that would benefit the communities in which she and her husband lived and worked.

Ruth was born in South Dakota on August 20, 1910, the daughter of a farmer/pharmacy-owner. At age seven, Ruth moved to Minneapolis with her family. She was known to love going to school, and developed a life-long passion for learning at an early age. Ruth graduated from Central High School in Minneapolis in 1927 and immediately took a job as a bank teller at Northwest National. She was diligent about saving her money, as she had a strong sense of wanderlust. With the money she was able to put away, Ruth traveled the United States - East to West. Her early travels turned out to be only just a taste of what was to come, as she went on to become an accomplished global traveler. She was known to do extensive research prior to her trips in order to be well informed about her destinations.

Ruth married George Doffing in 1947. George and his brother were involved in the finance industry and founded the State Bank of Wabasha. Ruth and George were known to enjoy golfing and entertaining friends and were instrumental in the founding of the Hastings Country Club, where Ruth actively golfed until she was 90 years old.

When George passed away in 1960, Ruth took his place on the board of the bank, where she was a valued trustee. Friends remember Ruth as politically savvy, always ready with an opinion on a topic, independent, well-read, well-informed, and keenly interested in the community around her. She could engage people in conversation on any number of topics including travel, books, the stock market, banking, business, knitting and gardening. She was thought of as an “adopted grandmother” to children of friends in the Hastings community and though she gave generously to the community, she was humble about recognition.

In her passing, Ruth left a legacy for generations to come by creating the Ruth Gale and George W. Doffing Fund through the American Center for Philanthropy. With an emphasis on educational, and health and wellness programs for children and the elderly, the Doffing Charitable Fund now contributes more than $450,000 annually to Hastings and Wabasha organizations. Not only will her memory live on in the lives of those that knew her, but it will continue to live on in those touched by her intentional generosity.