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186:(renamed Florida State College for Women in 1905, then Florida State University in 1947), earning a degree in chemistry. Her graduating class had 11 students, almost equally split between women and men. Despite having a bachelor's degree, Diamond once said that she "wasn't taught to do a blessed thing on earth but smile".
456:, as well. Both were late 19th-century progressive women from the upper-class, college educated, unmarried, and well-known philanthropists who lived in their hometown for their long lives. While Weil appeared to be more liberal and was more well-known regionally and nationally, Diamond was somewhat eccentric, but unique.
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On the death of her father in 1914, Diamond inherited the family mercantile store, the family home, and other properties in downtown
Tallahassee. She sold the store, but kept and managed the downtown real estate and buildings for several decades. Following her mother's death in 1924, the family home
466:
Diamond was a life member of the
Florida State Alumni Association, the Florida Historical Society, the Tallahassee Women's Club, the Tallahassee-Leon County Humane Society, and the Florida United Numismatic Association. She was an active member of the Oleander Garden Circle, Tallahassee Historical
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after it opened in 1927. For many years the hotel was the newest, largest, and preferred hotel in
Tallahassee. Many state legislators stayed there during legislative sessions. A common joke was that more of Florida's business took place in the Floridan than at the Capitol building. She lived there
463:. Diamond stated, "It gives the elderly people a feeling of welcome and security at mealtime when told that the vegetables came from their own garden." Inspiration came from her father, who was Leon County commission chairman for ten years. Julius Diamond provided vegetable seed for area farmers.
162:
Williams's daughter
Henrietta married Julius Diamond, a Tallahassee merchant and city commissioner in 1879. Diamond had emigrated from Prussia after the Civil War and was an early merchant in Tallahassee who owned several downtown buildings, an insurance business and farmland.
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She willed her estate to the Ruby
Diamond Foundation, a charitable trust to continue support for 24 nonprofit entities. As of 2022, since beginning its giving in 1984, the foundation had distributed more than $ 6 million.
245:. She also established two scholarships for disadvantaged scholars, and gave to the Alumni Association and the Department of Educational Research, Development, and Foundations. She was a Century Club contributor to the
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During her life, Diamond was known to be a generous philanthropist, contributing to at least thirty-seven organizations. Contributions went to early childhood education programs, the
802:
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Diamond began a project in 1945 that she called the "Diamond
Vegetable Basket". Each year she provided a coupon for fertilizer and vegetable seed to each welfare recipient in
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Diamond was known to her friends as "Miss Ruby". She was engaged twice, but never married. Newspaper accounts stated that both fiancés died before the marriages could occur.
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She was a significant benefactor to
Florida State University, donating properties worth six figures during the 1970s and 1980s that partially endowed a chair in the
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Ruby and Sydney
Diamond joined other Jewish community members to found Temple Israel in 1937. Diamond and her foundation were the temple's largest contributors.
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Henrietta and Julius
Diamond had two children. Sydney Hamilton was born in 1883 and Ruby Pearl in 1886. Sydney became a well-known Tallahassee attorney.
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Throughout her life, Diamond employed a driver and a caretaker, both of whom were black, garnering a comparison to Miss Daisy of the 1987 play
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until 1978. When the
Floridan went out of business, Diamond moved to the Hilton Hotel, where she remained until her death in 1982.
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148:. The family had some wealth and opened a store before purchasing three plantations for cotton production.
120:, known for her support of a wide array of charitable causes, especially racial equality, Jewish life, and
260:. Designated the primary performance venue for Florida State University, it is on the first floor of the
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Diamond is among her classmates in this photograph of the Florida State College graduating class of 1905.
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238:, nursing homes, hospitals, Black charities, research institutions, and Tallahassee's Temple Israel.
140:, her grandparents, Robert Williams and Helena Dzialynsky, relocated with their five daughters from
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116:(September 1, 1886 – March 8, 1982) was an American businessperson and philanthropist from
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478:. She was also active politically and fought for racial equality and lower taxes.
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In 1970, Florida State University named the largest auditorium on campus the
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to the small Jewish community. All five of his daughters married Jewish men.
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124:. Over her life, Diamond gained a reputation as a "shrewd" businessperson.
256:. Following a $ 38 million renovation, it was renamed in 2010 as the
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639:"Ruby Diamond: 1905 Graduate of Florida State College and Philanthropist"
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777:"Knight Foundation gives $ 1 million to renovate Ruby Diamond lobby"
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dubbed Williams the "King of the Jews" in Tallahassee. He donated a
896:"Various stamps from the collection of Ruby Diamond in Tallahassee"
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Ruby Pearl Diamond with her chauffeur and companion, "Smiley" Bruce
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Society, LeMoyne Art Foundation, and Tallahassee Junior Museum.
560:"Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities – Tallahassee, FL"
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Guests at her 90th birthday party included Florida Governor
448:, another single, wealthy Jewish woman. She was likened to
667:. Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee Democrat. June 5, 1946
687:"Florida State College graduating class of 1905 portrait"
566:. Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
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Florida A&M University Foundation Development Fund
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227:1969 portrait of Diamond with her collection of
338:charitable support of 24 designated charities
783:. Florida State University. October 23, 2008
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988:American people of German-Jewish descent
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751:"Ruby Diamond Auditorium Dedication"
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983:American people of Prussian descent
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643:fsuspecialcollections.wordpress.com
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16:American philanthropist (1886–1982)
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529:Parshall, Josh (August 22, 2019).
415:https://rubydiamondfoundation.org/
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637:Woodward, Gina (March 18, 2013).
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948:People from Tallahassee, Florida
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182:In 1905, Diamond graduated from
958:Florida State University alumni
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665:"Sydney Diamond Taken by Death"
605:. WFSU Public Media. March 2023
599:"Tallahassee's Loses a Diamond"
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211:, and Florida Attorney General
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195:was sold. Ruby moved into the
132:Ruby Pearl Diamond was from a
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953:Philanthropists from Florida
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938:Businesspeople from Florida
803:"Ruby Diamond Concert Hall"
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136:. At the conclusion of the
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978:20th-century American Jews
809:. Florida State University
757:. Florida State University
645:. Florida State University
79:Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
876:. Ruby Diamond Foundation
874:Rubydiamondfoundation.org
870:"Ruby Diamond Foundation"
724:. Ruby Diamond Foundation
722:Rubydiamondfoundation.org
718:"Ruby Diamond Foundation"
454:Goldsboro, North Carolina
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122:Florida State University
273:Ruby Diamond Foundation
268:Ruby Diamond Foundation
254:Ruby Diamond Auditorium
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292:; 40 years ago
290:December 31, 1983
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943:American philatelists
807:openingnights.fsu.edu
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184:Florida State College
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89:Florida State College
755:diginole.lib.fsu.edu
537:. My Jewish Learning
535:myjewishlearning.com
531:"Ruby Pearl Diamond"
347:Tallahassee, Florida
243:College of Education
118:Tallahassee, Florida
61:Tallahassee, Florida
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902:. State of Florida
693:. State of Florida
445:Driving Miss Daisy
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396:$ 6,006,156 (2022)
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114:Ruby Pearl Diamond
47:Ruby Pearl Diamond
900:floridamemory.com
845:pdf.guidestar.org
691:floridamemory.com
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262:Westcott Building
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386:$ 365,316 (2022)
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153:Weekly Floridian
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72:March 8, 1982
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904:. Retrieved
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781:news.fsu.edu
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368:Trustees (3)
343:Headquarters
325:Legal status
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219:Philanthropy
205:Reubin Askew
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74:(1982-03-08)
25:Ruby Diamond
18:
933:1982 deaths
928:1886 births
476:numismatist
472:philatelist
461:Leon County
146:Tallahassee
95:Occupations
922:Categories
906:August 20,
880:August 19,
851:August 18,
813:August 20,
787:August 19,
761:August 20,
728:August 18,
697:August 19,
671:August 23,
649:August 18,
609:August 18,
570:August 18,
541:August 19,
485:References
364:Main organ
320:59-6781684
315:Tax ID no.
297:1983-12-31
190:Later life
53:1886-09-01
392:Endowment
374:Revenue
329:501(c)(3)
308:Nonprofit
287:Formation
170:Education
138:Civil War
847:. Candid
603:wfsu.org
564:isjl.org
383:Expenses
411:Website
402:Staff
354:Region
335:Purpose
295: (
128:Family
63:, U.S.
841:(PDF)
452:from
157:Torah
144:, to
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474:and
305:Type
151:The
69:Died
43:Born
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