Mapp issues statement on death of educator and historian Ruth-Marie Moolenaar

Gov. Kenneth Mapp said on March 20, 2018, that Dr. Ruth-Marie Moolenaar had died, calling her loss significant for the territory.

In a statement, Mapp and Lt. Gov. Osbert Potter offered condolences to Moolenaar’s family and friends.

Moolenaar was known for writings on Virgin Islands history, including a publication on the Savan neighborhood that was featured in the 1991 American Folklife Festival at the Smithsonian Institution. She also wrote Legacies of Upstreet, about the Upstreet area of downtown Charlotte Amalie, and Profiles of Outstanding Virgin Islanders.

According to Government House, Moolenaar served 42 years with the Virgin Islands Department of Education, later became the first principal of Jane E. Tuitt School, and served as vice-chair of the Board of Education. The statement said she also served on civic and cultural boards, was commended by the 20th Legislature in 1994, and was honored by the University of the Virgin Islands in 2016.

Mapp also extended condolences to her children, Dr. Gwen-Marie Moolenaar, Attorney Gwenneth Moolenaar and Dr. Lucien Moolenaar II, and to her adopted daughter, Ingrid Warrington.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-mapp-mourns-the-loss-of-beloved-st-thomas-culture-bearer-ruth-moolenaar/