Biography

Helen Ruffin Marshall (1886-1972) is the daughter of George Randolph Ruffin (1849-1915) and Amarillo Gholson Bell Ruffin (1861-1888). Raised in Hope, Arkansas, she enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music (Boston, Massachusetts) in 1904 and graduated in 1908. From approximately 1909 to 1912, she lived in Hope, Arkansas, where she sang at programs given by that city’s Pianists’ Club. In 1912, she moved to Marshall, Texas, where she taught voice and piano in addition to serving as choir director at Saint Joseph Catholic Church. In 1913, she married Frederick Calvin Marshall (1880-1940). From approximately 1918 to 1925, the Marshalls lived in Hope, Arkansas, and Helen taught private voice and piano classes. Around 1925, the Marshalls moved to Texarkana, Arkansas, where Helen was head of the Marshall-Wood Studios of Fine Arts. Starting in the mid-1930s, she was also involved in music activities in Shreveport, Louisiana, as a member of the faculty at the Southwestern Institute of Arts as well as a lecturer at the Woman’s Department Club. In 1940, Helen moved to Shreveport, and served as assistant professor of voice at Centenary College of Louisiana from 1941 to 1959. In 1949, she helped organize the Shreveport Civic Opera Association. After working at Centenary, she began teaching voice at Saint Vincent’s Academy. Around 1963, she moved back to Hope, Arkansas.

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