In 1941, E. Maxine Moose graduated with honors from Bridgeport High School, and received a scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan College. Below is a picture of her from the 1942 Murmurmontis. She was even a cheerleader!
Then, on December 7, 1941, her life took a dramatic turn. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the United States was plunged into World War II, Maxine answered the call for the home front war effort and went to work working on B-52 bombers. She was one of the women known as “Rosie the Riveters.”
After the war, Maxine went to Ohio State University where she studied Philosophy and Psychology, but even more important to the trajectory of her life, she met and married Fred C. Bruhns. A German student, Fred had worked hard to thwart and defeat the Nazis, even being imprisoned for those efforts. He spent the rest of his life working to make life better for refugees including Austrian, Palestinian, and North Vietnamese.
The two of them traveled to more than 80 countries, where she met everyone from the Dalai Lama to Albert Schweitzer.
All of this prepared her well to become the second director of the Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh in 1965. This was not just a job for her for the 54 years that she held the position. It was a passion, a calling, a love.She celebrated all of the cultures of the world, and gave many students the opportunity to experience things beyond their own experiences.
This is the top of the webpage for the Nationality Rooms at Pitt. There is a lot of great information here that will tell you a lot about Maxine Moose Bruhns as well. When she arrived, there were 19 Rooms and they provided 8 scholarships for summer study abroad. When she retired, there were 31 Rooms, and 54 Pitt Students had studied in 35 countries in the summer of that year. Click here to see video tours of all of the rooms.
But, this girl from West Virginia never forgot where she came from. She was a true Dreamer who also spent a lifetime helping to make the Dreams of others come true. And inspiring new dreams.
She remained a supporter of the Mother’s Day Shrine in her native Grafton.
She stayed active in the alumni association at her high school Alma Mater, Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, WV.
She remained connected to West Virginia Wesleyan College, and in 2007 received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Since 2007, Bruhns Scholarships have been given to Wesleyan Students to help them to experience the world. These scholarships have enabled many students to stretch their comfort zones, as Maxine encouraged them to go to non-English speaking countries with cultures very different from their own.
One of these students was Maggie Lohman, also a graduate of Bridgeport High School (and now also of WVWC). Click here to read about her experience in Thailand in Summer of 2019.
In 2018, four students were recipients of Bruhns Scholarships. Click here to read about their experiences.
I am collecting a list of all of these recipients and their stories of inspiration. If you are one of these, or you know one, please contact me at historian@wvwc.edu. So far, I know of:
2012
- Evid Miller –Turkey
- Gabrielle LaFata — Israel
- Matthew Gillich — Ghana
2013
- Rachel Channell – Kauvasi, Greece
- Andrew Wade Phipps — Prague, Czech Republic
- Briana Nicole Shockey — Cape Town, South Africa
2014
- Sydney Pettit — South Africa
- Alberta “Ali” Crawford — Poland
- Rachel Rodgers — Czech Republic
- Colin Winkie — VietNam and Cambodia
2017
- Jennifer Kirk — Accra, Ghana
2018 (Article about all four)
- Jenna Fuerst — Bosnia and Herzegovinia
- Hannah Jones — Thailand
- Arin Shatto — India
- Anna Slayden — Ghana
2019
- Maggie Lohman – Thailand
- Casey Stallman –Madagascar
2020 – None due to COVID-19
The world lost a great traveler on July 17, 2020. Maxine Moose Bruhns died at the age of 96. She leaves a legacy of world understanding and a host of students who have had their lives transformed.
The following are some items about E. Maxine Moose Bruhns that have appeared in WVWC publications as well as some news stories and obituaries.
- Bruhns, Maxine Moose
- (1947) Eleanor Maxine Moose, x’45, became the bride of Fred Charles Bruhns of New York City, on December 21, in the North Broadway Methodist church at Columbus, OH. The young couple will make their home in New York City. [West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin, 1947-05, p.4]
- (1950) Mr. and Mrs. Fred C. Bruhns, (Maxine Moose, ‘45) have completed a two-year stay in Europe where Mr. Bruhns was employed by the International Refugee Organization in Austria. They are now visiting Mrs. Bruhns’ parents in Bridgeport, WV. [Pharos 1950-12-15, p.4]
- (1965) Maxine Moose Bruhns, ‘45, Recalls Visit with Dr. Albert Schweitzer. [Sundial 1965-12, p.32-33]
- (1992) Maxine Moose Bruhns, ‘45, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, recently received the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh’s Glick Award for leadership and service in intercultural exchange and understanding. In her position, she directs activities of more than 30 nationality and ethnic groups, including ethnic studies, workshops, concerts, exhibits, and observance of national and traditional holidays. She also supervises committees to raise funds to provide grants for students and faculty to study abroad, and to subsidie university courses in language studies. [Sundial 1992, Fall, p.19]
- (2007) E. Maxine Bruhns is the director of the University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs. Born in Grafton, WV, she attended West Virginia Wesleyan College for a short time before transferring to Ohio State University, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and philosophy. Upon graduation, she married Fred C. Bruhns, a refugee specialist who through his lifetime worked for several international organizations including the United Nations. During their extensive travels, Ms. Bruhns worked with CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, and taught English to Africans, Cambodians, Iranians, and Vietnamese, among others. She earned a master’s degree in education from the American University of Beirut. Since 1965, she has provided leadership and vision for the University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms, housed in the Cathedral of Learning. She and her husband established 34 international study scholarships providing summer study abroad funding to over 800 students. Ms. Bruhns received the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh 2004 Tribute to Women award in recognition of her commitment to international education. Her vision of opening educational doors now includes West Virginia Wesleyan College with the establishment of three scholarship programs. [Commencement Program, May 6, 2007]
- (2018) Maxine Bruhns, the last living relative of Anna Jarvis (founder of Mother’s Day) spoke at the Mother’s Day Shrine anniversary celebration. [Mountain Statesman, 2018-05-15]
- (2019) Maxine Bruhns was attending West Virginia Wesleyan when Pearl Harbor was attacked. This changed her life, as she left school to serve her country by working in an aircraft factory making wings for B-52 Bombers. [Trina Runner in Connect Bridgeport 2019-02-26]
- (2020) E. Maxine Bruhns officially retired on January 1, 2020. She served as director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs at the University of Pittsburgh for more than 50 years. She died July 17, 2020 at the age of 96.[The Pitt News, July 18, 2020]
- (2020) Obituary [The PittNews, 2020-07-18]
- (2020) Obituary [Connect Bridgeport 2020-07-21]
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