QHS Alumni Spotlight: Greg Ruth ’05

By: Katie Rodemich ’02

Greg Ruth ’05 recently reflected on his multifaceted high school experience, which encompassed musical pursuits as a trombonist, athletic achievements in tennis and football, and memberships in organizations such as Scholastic Bowl and Chess Club, as well as a brief tenure on Student Council. He credits the invaluable mentorship of his educators and the supportive community for much of the positive experiences he had as a student. Currently, Greg is a faculty member at River Oaks Baptist School in Houston, Texas. His teaching experience also extends to international positions in Korea. Additionally, as a certified teaching professional with the United States Tennis Association and the United States Professional Tennis Association, he coaches and instructs tennis. Greg authored Tennis- A History from American Amateurs to Global Professionals, which is a seminal work hailed as a “master narrative” of the sport.

“I loved Quincy. It was a great place to grow up. I had terrific teachers at both Quincy High and throughout the entire QPS system. One thing I really liked about growing up in Quincy, which I realized when we went and competed in different events, and at the state level, was the opportunity to be involved in many high school activities.  At several of the Chicago suburb schools, it seemed like a person could only do one activity. In Quincy, students could be in any sport they wanted to be, Scholastic Bowl, Chess Club, and music. One didn’t have to pick and choose only a few activities as we were encouraged to participate in many different things, not discouraged or disallowed,” said Greg in a recent interview.

“In high school, I was involved with the music program in A Building, and I played trombone. I played tennis throughout my high school career. I played football for several years up until high school.  I was also involved with Scholastic Bowl, Chess Club, and at one point, I participated in Student Council.”

Greg accumulated four varsity letters while playing QHS tennis. He then went on to participate in tennis at Augustana College for four consecutive years.

“I played tennis throughout my high school career. We won sectional a few years and that was a lot of fun. I met some of my best friends, people that stood up for me when I got married, and teammates that have remained friends. I also played tennis when I went to Augustana College. It’s a regional school in the Quad Cities and was a fun experience. When I was younger, the area was part of the Western Big 6, and we played up there quite a bit. We played lots of matches every year and I had great friends that have remained lifelong friends.”

Greg looks back on his Quincy education with deep gratitude and admiration for the educators who helped shaped his knowledge.

“I had wonderful teachers. I had Beth Young for English my sophomore year. It was a great class. I think it was called Great Ideas. I also had Mr. Steinke for English, who is now the principal of QHS. Jody Steinke was a fantastic teacher and one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. He put a great deal of time into his teaching, and it showed. He had the ability to manage large classes in the thirties and still get students writing at a good level. It was not an easy task to do and something very admirable. I hope he felt like we appreciated him then at the time.

“I had terrific classes with Todd Klauser. His curiosity and passion for learning was tremendous. I had several classes with Sarah Stewart, who taught science. One of my memories is when we got to do the cadaver dissection in St. Louis, which was so neat. The fact that she was able to coordinate that and get high school kids to go to St. Louis and be able to do some cadaver dissection was amazing. The microbiology class, spending time with the microscopes and identifying an unknown was really neat. College classes will do that for their final projects, and we were doing it in 10th or 11th grade.”

One memorable connection Greg shared is about when he played football in middle school. The current QHS Varsity Coach, Rick Little, was Greg’s coach at the time.

“I remember having football practice with him when Rick was either still playing in the Arena Football League or had just retired. He threw the football with great power. As a 13-year-old kid, it was incredible to practice and catch some of his passes. That’s a cherished memory for me.”

Greg and his wife, Courtney, currently reside in Houston, Texas, where with their 1-year-old daughter. Both Greg and Courtney are faculty members at River Oaks Baptist School, which is located in the Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood.  Initially, Greg served as a high school instructor, later transitioning to middle school, while Courtney successfully developed the school’s orchestra program, a notable accomplishment in the face of declining arts education, which factored significantly in their decision to join the school.

“Houston is a great town. It is a very international and cosmopolitan city. The weather is much hotter than it is in Quincy. We don’t have the wonderful four seasons that you get in Quincy, but it’s been a good place for us. We’re looking forward to raising our family there and just seeing what the next chapter has for us. We had been international teachers, mainly in Korea, which was very different, but it was a great experience. We thought about continuing to work as international teachers, but we made the decision to come back to the states and now find ourselves in Houston. It feels like a good place to be.”

Beyond his educational role, Greg penned and published Tennis: A History from American Amateurs to Global Professionals. Greg’s narrative gives the historical context, stories of players, and influential figures which illustrates how tennis has developed into its current configuration.

“A few years ago, I finished my PhD in US history at Loyola University in Chicago. I hadn’t been on the campus for a long time but finished the last requirements. I was teaching in Korea at the time when I went back and defended my dissertation and completed that there. The book just kind of grew out of the research that I’d done for the dissertation. I revised a lot during the pandemic when things were shutting down in education. I’ve worked in tennis and recreational jobs, and it was a very slow spring. So, that was a few good months to buckle down and do the revisions.

“It was good to be able to work on it and it felt like I had something to say to join the conversation about a sport that had been a big part of my life. I think tennis is an interesting sport which reveals larger truths about recreation and entertainment in 20th century America and the 21st century world culture. So, it was something I very much enjoyed doing. It was a lot of fun to put it together. I tried to reveal the personalities of the players and let them speak for themselves by sharing their interesting stories. There were not necessarily always lessons to learn from, but interesting things to impart upon readers today or anybody interested in the sport.”

Visit the University of Illinois Press website to order directly from them. They often have sales in May or early June, as well as around Christmas time.

Additionally, it is available for purchase on Amazon too.

What advice do you have for students? 

“I think the number one thing is to be grateful. I think that Quincy was a terrific place to grow up. I couldn’t have felt more grateful about having grown up here and all the tremendous opportunities that the town was able to provide. I think the teachers and the important people in your life really do have your best interest in mind and they’re looking out for you. I think it is easy to get overlooked in this day and age. So, just approach things with the attitude of gratitude. There’s always room for excellence. Be kind and listen to people. I think people don’t listen to each other quite like they used to. So, doing all of those things will never go out of style.”