In 1941, Ruth Garner posed with her infant daughter Susan, who now lives in the Chicago area. The photo was submitted by another daughter, Potsdam Acting Village Justice Margaret Garner.

By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM -- Potsdam Deputy Mayor Ruth Garner is celebrating her 99th birthday today.

Garner was the first woman to be elected to the Village of Potsdam Board of Trustees in 1973, in an era when many women were expressing themselves politically for the first time.

Six years later Garner was elected mayor for her first tenure, was re-elected then, and after a layoff of several years, was returned to the office.

In 2003, Garner was part of a CBS "60 Minutes" story about senior citizens who keep working well past the retirement age.

Garner's first home was in Norwood, when, in 1915, she was born Ruth Finnegan.

Never one to shrink from a challenge, she raised hundreds of dollars for the Potsdam Humane Society when, at age 93 in 2009, she got her very first tattoo, a small shamrock, using it as a fundraising ploy.

A former partner in Garner Funeral Home in Potsdam, she also served on the boards of the Potsdam Public Library, Renewal House, and the St. Lawrence County Historical Society.

Garner is also co-chair of the Managing Local Government Conference, held annually at SUNY Potsdam.

Now ailing somewhat and not able to regularly attend meetings of the village board, Garner nonetheless remains informed and speaks almost daily with other village officials – and citizens can be sure those are two-way conversations.

Garner accepted an honor from SUNY Potsdam on Monday, the college's first Civic Engagement Award, created to honor those who make a difference in their communities and inspire others to do the same.