Ruth Trew, longtime treasurer and secretary of the Devil’s Rope Barbwire Museum in McLean, Texas, recently retired after 32 years at the Route 66 landmark.
Trew turns 90 years old today. She undoubtedly greeted thousands of tourists at the museum over the years.
She also is known as the wife of Delbert Trew, who shepherded the founding of the museum, formerly a brassiere factory.
A PBS station in the Texas Panhandle a few years ago taped Delbert and Ruth Trew in this delightful 13-minute interview:
In addition to Del’s role with the museum, old Route 66 ran right through the Trews’ ranch, and he holds firsthand knowledge about its history. An eastbound Interstate 40 rest area near Alanreed, Texas, used some of that land and, as a result, has a Route 66 theme.
At one of the annual Route 66 gatherings about 15 years ago, Trew was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in helping revive Route 66. Accepting it, he got choked up for a bit and said, “I remember when he had to make our own (Route 66) souvenirs.”
Del Trew also wrote a column for the Amarillo Globe-News for many years, titled “It’s All Trew.” The Texas Escapes website has archived some of the columns here. Trew also donated many of his papers to a university library.
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Is this the same Trew Family that owns the Trew Ranch?